Kirsty McHenry | International students, an invasive species
The Netherlands’ changing attitude towards foreign students makes columnist Kirsty McHenry doubt her future in this country. “With the forthcoming government devising anti-immigration policy that promises to fix problems which immigrants did not cause, many in the country are already beginning to brace for turbulence.”
Lately, being an international student has felt a bit like being an inconspicuous, fee-paying seedling who, come graduation, will suddenly be perceived as an invasive species. This thought aptly entered my mind as I crossed the halfway mark of my degree. It is now, apparently, time to start thinking seriously about my future – the question of which I have mostly avoided answering prior to this moment. Importantly, this means that, as an international student, I will have to figure out whether I should stay in the Netherlands or if it is time to vacate the premises.
However, I am not alone in my uncertainty over whether or not I belong here. Following the increase in anti-immigration policy, the country’s highest value company, ASML, has also been contemplating if it should cease further expansions in the Netherlands. Moreover, it seems that most of Dutch society is similarly attempting to determine whether or not international students are welcome to remain.
The increasingly negative sentiment towards international students hasn’t just been making the large corporations uneasy; it’s also been affecting students themselves. It has been difficult to ignore the fact that the impending government coalition will consist of parties who secured their seats partly (or mainly, in the case of PVV) thanks to their use of anti-immigration rhetoric. For international students, staying in the Netherlands means accepting that we will be used as scapegoats upon which the next government will pin the ensuing housing shortages and social security limitations.
Nevertheless, among much of the population, opinions are still divided over exactly what place international students should occupy in Dutch society. For instance, bills, such as those backed by New Social Contract leader Pieter Omtzigt, which advocate abolishing tax cuts for expats or scrapping English-taught university courses have been met with mixed responses. Though, more than likely, this is because these policies threaten to provoke companies like ASML which rely on highly educated, English-speaking graduates rather than out of concern for the expats themselves.
The prospect of transforming, in the eyes of the nation, from a relatively innocent, somewhat clueless international student to an “evil job-stealing immigrant” is obviously less than appealing. Of course, however, it is a privilege to have never been seen as a threat in this way before. Having the power to decide whether or not to stay is not an advantage enjoyed by everyone. For immigrants who do not possess an EU passport or higher socio-economic “expat” status, the national attitude is far less ambiguous (as last November’s election made painfully apparent). Of all those who will be trying to make a home for themselves in the Netherlands under a majority PVV government, it is this group who will likely suffer the most.
Rooting oneself in Dutch soil comes with the expectation that your presence will be evaluated by virtue of how economically viable it’s assumed you have the potential to be. Although this is hardly a new observation, for international students about to commit to a life here, recognising the thin conditions upon which you will be tolerated post-graduation is an unnerving thought. With the forthcoming government devising anti-immigration policy that promises to fix problems which immigrants did not cause, many in the country are already beginning to brace for turbulence. As for me, while graduation edges closer with each passing month, the possibility of my future in the Netherlands remains unpredictable. On the other hand, there’s always Denmark if they’ll have me.
Kirsty McHenry is a Political Science student from Ireland.
