Broad intake for asylum status holders

Did you come to the Netherlands as a refugee (asylum migrant)? And were you told after 31 December 2021 that you could stay (residence permit)? Then you are an asylum status holder. This page tells you what your broad intake involves.

What’s a broad intake?

Once you start your civic integration process, you will get to know the municipality, and the municipality will get to know you. We call this the broad intake. You will then have your own contact person at the municipality. Together, you and your contact person will make an integration plan for you. You will go through the civic integration process in a way that is best for you.

Good to know: after the broad intake, your contact person will help you with your civic integration process.

  • We will organise an information meeting for you and other status holders. During the meeting, we will give you more information about integration in our municipality, and living and working in the Netherlands.

  • Your contact person at the municipality will ask you to come in for an interview so that you can get to know one another. You will tell your contact person more about yourself, your family situation, your interests and your work experience. You will talk about what you can do, what you would like to do, and whether you need help with anything. Your contact person will tell you more about what you will be doing during your civic integration process.

    It’s important to know that your contact person will help and advise you until the end of your civic integration process.

    You will receive the letter telling you when the interview is by post, so be sure to keep an eye on your letter box. You are required to go to this appointment. There will be a phone number in the letter to call if you cannot keep the appointment. In that case, make sure you call this number before the date of the appointment.

  • Your contact person will make an appointment for you at Vista College, the school where you will be taking Dutch language lessons later. You will take a test there. You will also have an interview with an employee at the school. The test and the interview are called the ‘learning ability test’ (leerbaarheidstoets). During the test, you will be asked to do certain things, like read a text. You do not have to practise beforehand.

    The test results will help you and us determine the best level for you to learn Dutch, and which learning route you will follow. Vista College will make a recommendation about this and send it to your contact person.

  • Your contact person at the municipality will ask you to come in and talk about the results of the learning ability test and Vista College’s recommendation.

    Then you and your contact person will make an integration plan for you. You will describe the goals you want to achieve and which learning route you will follow. This plan is known as the Personal Integration and Participation plan. We use the abbreviation, PIP. Your contact person will tell the Education Executive Agency DUO that you are getting started on your PIP. That way, DUO can determine when you should be finished with your civic integration process.

    The learning routes

    A learning route can take up to three years. The goal of any learning route is for you to learn Dutch as quickly as possible and familiarise yourself with Dutch society. Your PIP will tell you which learning route you will follow.

    We offer four different learning routes:

    • B1 route

    • B1-Introductory route

    • Education route

    • Self-reliance route

    Your Personal Integration and Participation (PIP) plan will tell you which learning route you will follow. You can read more about the learning routes on the “Civic Integration Process for Asylum Status Holders” page.

  • You will receive a letter from DUO stating when your civic integration process will begin and when you must finish it. You have three years to complete the civic integration process.

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