Permanent Residence Permit

Residence may be documented by evidence relating to your address, studies, medical or dental appointments, leisure activities, purchases and similar matters. We recommend that you retain documentation of your residence on an ongoing bas

Yes, in some cases. Compliance with the employment requirement is assessed at the time the decision is made. You may therefore satisfy the requirement while your application is being processed. However, this involves a risk, as a decision may be made before the requirement has been met.

Yes, but generally only after you have held a residence permit on the basis of family reunification for a number of years and provided that you meet the applicable requirements. We recommend that you focus on meeting the requirements from the outset so that the basis for a future application is in place.

Many people believe that unemployment benefits affect the self-support requirement. However, this is a misconception, as unemployment benefits are not regarded as public assistance. They may, however, be relevant to the employment requirement, since periods during which you receive unemployment benefits will generally not count towards meeting that requiremen

You must document that the business is genuinely operating and that your work in the business is equivalent in scope to full-time employment. This will typically require financial statements, income information and documentation of the business’s activities.

Yes, but income is not decisive in itself. A low income does not in itself prevent you from meeting the requirement, but it may be relevant when assessing whether the business is operated on a scale equivalent to full-time employment.

No. Only overdue debt owed to a public authority may be relevant. Debt is considered overdue once the payment deadline has expired. However, if you have been granted a deferral of payment and the debt does not exceed the applicable statutory threshold, you may still apply.