EU students with Dutch grant not exempt from work

International students with a Dutch student grant will not be exempt from the work requirement of 32 hours per month during an internship. The current regulations are reasonable, according to Dutch State Secretary of Education Halbe Zijlstra.

The state secretary responded to questions from Labour party PvdA parliament member Tanja Jadnanansing about international students in this situation.

In principle, European students can get a study grant in their own country. But under European law, a migrant EU worker may not be treated differently from national workers. It means that EU citizens who are both studying and working in the Netherlands can claim a Dutch student grant. They are required, however, to work at least 32 hours per month.

According to the PvdA it is difficult for students to meet this requirement during an internship. An internship does not count as work, unless the student receives the salary that is normally paid for the job position. This is often not the case in higher positions.

Zijlstra: “In such cases, in which foreign students want to apply for a Dutch grant through the European right of free movement of workers, I consider the Dutch regulation that determines who is a migrant worker reasonable. 32 hours per month is only an average of one day a week.”