Sufyan (pseudonym) was born in the Netherlands, but lives in the United Kingdom (UK). his wife from there. Sufian moved to the UK very quickly to live with his wife. They also have two children there. Soufiane still has family in the Netherlands and would like to visit him with his family for a longer period of time.
Visa request
Since the end of 2020, the UK is no longer part of the European Union. This makes it more complicated for Sufyan’s wife and children when coming to the Netherlands for a short stay. They must apply for a visa for this. This takes time and money. Soufiane reads online that he can use the EU Family Directive, because he himself is Dutch.
Expedited procedure
This directive ensures that they can apply for a short-stay visa for his wife and children with lower costs and a faster procedure. Soufiane is glad that this option exists and goes to VFS. This company arranges visa applications in the UK on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ).
There is no explanation
But Sufyan’s request was refused. His family members will not fall under the terms of the EU Family Directive. He must simply apply for the visa through the normal route. Soufiane takes another look at the information on the Internet and reads it carefully. According to him, his request should have been approved. He also receives no explanation from VFS Global and BZ as to why his family members did not meet the conditions. He tries through various relief organizations to get approval. But this also fails. Sufyan has been trying to arrange this for almost a year, but he hasn’t gone through with it. And now?
Watch again
Sufyan communicates with the National Ombudsman. Could they mean anything to him? Our colleague Sima works. You call our BZ contact person and ask him if he would like to take another look at Sofiane’s case and explain to him why his family members are/are not complying with the rules. BZ is investigating the case again, including information related to the EU Family Directive. And guess what: Sofiane was right after all. His family members are eligible.
Set information
It took a long time, but I’m glad Soufiane finally got help. BZ also informed Sofiane that it will amend the information on its website about this matter and will also inform VFS. We hope that other citizens will not have the same problem as Soufiane. positive result.
The person in the photo is not the person in the text.
This column also appeared in De Telegraaf on May 20, 2023.
