The IND salary thresholds for 2025 for the European Blue Card, the residence permit to work as a highly skilled migrant and the work permit for intra company transfer (ICT) have been announced.

Salary thresholds with effect from January 1, 2025

From January 1, 2025, the following salary threshold (gross per month, excluding 8% holiday allowance) apply for:

• European Blue Card holders, highly skilled migrants and ICT transferees from the age of 30 years: € 5,688
• European Blue Card holders, highly skilled migrants and ICT transferees who are younger than 30 years: € 4,171
• Highly skilled migrants graduated less than 3 years ago from a top 200 university or after a residence permit search year for highly educated persons (search year): € 2,989
• European Blue Card holders who obtained a higher education diploma no more than 3 years prior to the application: € 4,551

Reduced salary threshold European Blue Card and highly skilled migrant permit

The European Blue Card – just like the highly skilled migrant permit – also has a reduced salary threshold for recent graduates from a higher educational institution (university or higher vocational education).This reduced salary threshold for the European Blue Card is € 1,562 gross per month higher than the reduced salary threshold of the highly skilled migrant permit. Namely € 4,551 for the European Blue Card and €2,989 for the orientation year for highly educated persons (orientation year).

For both residence permits with the reduced salary threshold, the employee has to be graduated less than 3 years ago prior to the application.

In order for the employee to be eligible for the reduced salary threshold of the highly skilled migrant permit, the foreigner must have graduated from a university or faculty that appears in the top 200 of at least 2 of the following lists: Times Higher Education, ShanghaiRanking Consultancy or Quacquarelli Symonds. The NL Netherlands website has also developed a tool to quickly see whether the diploma meets these requirements.

This requirement does not apply to qualify for the reduced salary threshold of the European Blue Card.

Any diploma from a three-year course completed at a higher education institution is sufficient to for EU Blue Card with the reduced salary threshold.