Meridian · Freshness tracker

What's changed.

Dated updates to visa, tax, residency, citizenship, housing, and labour policy across every country tracked. Every entry cites its primary source and the date we last verified it.

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Category All categoriesVisa & immigrationResidencyCitizenshipTaxationLabourHousingHealthcareOther
In force 1 Sept 2024
In force Residency

Asylum Distribution Act (Spreidingswet) scheduled for withdrawal

The Asylum Distribution Act, which had required all Dutch municipalities to participate in housing asylum seekers on a per-capita basis, was committed for withdrawal in the coalition agreement. Implementation obligations on municipalities were suspended in practice; concrete repeal legislation entered the parliamentary process in late 2024.

Who it affects: Asylum-seeker capacity distribution across Dutch municipalities.

Government of the Netherlands ↗ · Hoofdlijnenakkoord — Coalition Agreement (May 2024) ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Sept 2024
In force Residency

Family reunification for recognised refugees sharply restricted

Under the coalition agreement, family reunification rules for recognised refugees were tightened: faster-track "Nareis" provisions were narrowed, and the previous one-year grace period for submitting applications without income-threshold assessment was re-examined. Civil-society organisations have flagged compatibility concerns with EU and ECHR family-reunion case law.

Who it affects: Recognised refugees seeking to bring family members to the Netherlands.

Government of the Netherlands ↗ · Hoofdlijnenakkoord — Coalition Agreement (May 2024) ↗ · European Commission — Migration and Home Affairs ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 2 Jul 2024
In force Residency

Hoofdlijnenakkoord — coalition commits to "strictest asylum policy ever"

The four-party coalition of PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB published its Hoofdlijnenakkoord ("outline agreement") in May 2024, taking office 2 July 2024. The agreement commits to a tightening of asylum and migration policy including: the scrapping of the Asylum Distribution Act (Spreidingswet), reduction of temporary asylum residence permits from five to three years, and severe tightening of family reunification rules for recognised refugees. Many individual measures have faced legal and parliamentary contestation through 2025.

Who it affects: Asylum seekers, recognised refugees, and their family members applying for reunification.

Hoofdlijnenakkoord — Coalition Agreement (May 2024) ↗ · Government of the Netherlands ↗ · European Commission — Migration and Home Affairs ↗ · verified 2026-04-19