THE HAGUE–The figures for students leaving St. Maarten on their own to continue studies in the Netherlands have been rising steadfastly over the past year. On Sunday Minister Plenipotentiary Henrietta Doran-York again urged students to find a residence/place to register before crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
For the past months and especially the last weeks, the St. Maarten House has been assisting students who have ventured out on their own to the Netherlands to pursue their education.
While it is the pleasure of Doran-York and her Cabinet to assist these “free-movers,” she said it is very important to have a place to register arranged before the date of travel.
Despite the message sent out from the Cabinet a few months ago pertaining to this very same issue, absolutely none of the students who came to the Cabinet seeking assistance had previously arranged an address to register upon their arrival, she said.
“This issue has caused many students countless sleepless nights, and it is sometimes heart-breaking to experience. While some eventually, with some assistance are able to secure a place to temporarily register, others are still seeking to be registered and therefore cannot proceed and may eventually have to return to St. Maarten,” Doran-York said.
There are certain criteria in place for students who wish to pursue studies in the Netherlands as free movers and that are planning to attend an institution on the level of MBO, HBO or university. At the top of the list, students must have a place to register temporarily, until all is arranged. Without such an address, the registration process cannot start.
When registered in a municipality, students will receive a registration code BSN. Without this properly arranged, students will not be in a good position and nothing much can be done, including applying to rent an apartment, opening a bank account and all other efforts will prove futile, she said.
The St. Maarten House has been very successful in assisting free movers with registering for schools, seeking housing, making calls to schools or the civil registry on St. Maarten among other things.
“It is not in the favour of the students to travel to the Netherlands without first having a place to register as it is mostly very costly and stressful for them,” Doran-York warned.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/67895-doran-york-urges-free-moving-students-to-get-pre-registered-before-moving
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