Kingdom of the Netherlands vs Islamic Republic of Pakistan
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Kingdom of the Netherlands and Islamic Republic of Pakistan government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND) - verified
- Pakistan Online Visa System
Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan - verified
- IND — Highly Skilled Migrant
Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) - verified
- Work - General Visa - Pakistan Online Visa System
Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan - verified
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Netherlands operates the IND-administered Highly Skilled Migrant scheme via recognised sponsors, the EU Blue Card, the orientation year for recent international graduates, and a self-employed route under various treaties including DAFT for US nationals.
- Official portal
- Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND)
- Languages
- Dutch
- Currency
- Euro
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Pakistan uses the Pakistan Online Visa System for major entry routes, including tourist/visit, business, work, investor, student and family-visit visas. Work cases are employer-led and the official work route points applicants to the Board of Investment for further requirements, while business and investor categories depend heavily on invitation, recommendation or investment evidence.
- Official portal
- Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan
- Languages
- Urdu, English
- Currency
- Pakistani rupee
How Kingdom of the Netherlands and Islamic Republic of Pakistan differ
| Dimension | Kingdom of the Netherlands | Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 7 | 6 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 3 | 3 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 5 | 0 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Arrival → PR and citizenship eligibility parallel at 5 years. | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | Highly Skilled Migrant (Kennismigrant) | Work - General Visa |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | €5,942/month | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | IND — Decision periods does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | The Netherlands Highly Skilled Migrant route has a EUR 423 IND application fee for the employee when the Dutch employer is already an IND-recognised sponsor. | — |
| Official languages | Dutch | Urdu, English |
| Currency | Euro | Pakistani rupee |
| Primary regulator | NOvA | PBC |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 1 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Highly Skilled Migrant (Kennismigrant)
- Salary minimum
- €5,942/month
- Government fees
- The Netherlands Highly Skilled Migrant route has a EUR 423 IND application fee for the employee when the Dutch employer is already an IND-recognised sponsor.
- Processing time
- IND — Decision periods does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Work - General Visa
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Routes unique to Kingdom of the Netherlands
Routes unique to Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Visa routes side by side
Kingdom of the Netherlands (7)
Highly Skilled Migrant (Kennismigrant)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Matches contract, up to 5 years; renewable.
Orientation year (Zoekjaar)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · 1 year, non-renewable as Zoekjaar.
EU Blue Card (Netherlands)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Matches contract, up to 4 years plus 3 months; renewable.
Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) entrepreneur
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial 2 years, renewable for 5; leads to permanent residence.
Startup Visa (Netherlands)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 1 year, non-renewable as Startup Visa; transitions to self-employment route.
Dutch Student residence permit
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Programme length.
Partner residence (Dutch national or resident sponsor)
Family sponsor; no employer sponsor · Leads to settlement · Depends on the sponsor: it normally ends with a temporary sponsor's permit, while a Dutch or permanent-resident sponsor can support a permit valid for up to 5 years.
Islamic Republic of Pakistan (6)
Tourist/Visit Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Entry visas can be single-entry for up to 3 months; extensions can be multiple-entry up to 6 months or greater than 6 months where eligible.
Business Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · A business visa may be granted for up to 5 years and is valid for multiple entries.
Business Investor Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Short-term entry can be 1 year or 3 years multiple-entry; long-term entry can be 5 years multiple-entry; investor extension can be 2 years multiple-entry.
Work - General Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Entry and extension can be granted for 2 years with multiple entries.
Student Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · The official page says a study visa is granted for 2 years.
Family Visit Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · First-time visa valid up to 5 years with up to 1 year stay on each entry; Pakistan-origin extensions can be up to 2 years, while other extensions are yearly or as relevant rules/policy allow.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Kingdom of the Netherlands or Islamic Republic of Pakistan?+
Kingdom of the Netherlands’s Highly Skilled Migrant (Kennismigrant) requires a salary of at least €5,942/month; Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s Work - General Visa is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Kingdom of the Netherlands vs Islamic Republic of Pakistan immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/netherlands/vs/pakistan. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons