You can create a warm welcome for new international employees by taking care of all practical prerequisites before arrival, planning the first week tightly but humanely, and setting clear expectations from day one about work, culture, and support. This helps Highly Skilled Migrants feel safe, productive, and connected to the team more quickly.
This works best when HR, the hiring manager, and the buddy share the same information and your processes align with immigration and compliance. Small details like clear instructions, timely appointments, and a dedicated point of contact often make the biggest difference.
Below, you’ll find a concrete step-by-step plan for each question, covering preparation, arrival, onboarding, and communication.
What is a warm welcome for international employees?
A warm welcome is a structured onboarding process in which an international employee feels welcome, informed, and supported from the very first point of contact—both at work and beyond. For Highly Skilled Migrants, this means clear communication, practical help with arrival-related matters, and a team that actively supports integration, without making assumptions.
A warm welcome goes beyond a laptop and an office tour. You combine three elements:
- Practical: appointments, documents, registration, and essential information are arranged on time.
- Professional: goals, roles, expectations, and feedback moments are clear.
- Human: the person feels seen, gets a buddy, and knows who to turn to.
Nuance matters too: not every international employee has the same needs. Someone who has lived in the Netherlands before will need something different from someone moving for the first time and still without a network.
How do you prepare the first week for an international employee?
The best way to prepare the first week is with a fixed plan that combines work, administration, and social connection. Send Highly Skilled Migrants an overview in advance with times, locations, contacts, and what they need to bring. This prevents stress and immediately builds trust in your organization.
Make the week concrete with a simple schedule that everyone internally also knows:
- Day 1: welcome, workstation, IT access, team introductions, a short check-in on energy levels and jet lag.
- Day 2: role and goals, first tasks, explanation of tools and ways of working.
- Day 3: HR session on policies, leave, expense claims, sick leave reporting, and safety.
- Day 4: 1:1 with the manager, align expectations, schedule the first feedback moment.
- Day 5: social activity, buddy check-in, plan for weeks 2 and 3.
Also deliberately leave space. An international start often includes extra appointments outside of work, so keep the first-week agenda lighter than you would for local hires.
What practical matters do you arrange before arrival in the Netherlands?
Before arrival, you mainly ensure clarity around immigration, housing, the arrival journey, and the first registration steps. For Highly Skilled Migrants coming through the highly skilled migrant scheme, the employer applies for a residence permit with the IND. Whether someone can enter earlier depends on nationality and whether an MVV is required.
Make sure you tick off and confirm these points in writing in advance:
- Immigration and timing: who submits the application, which documents are needed, and the expected processing time. Applications via recognized sponsorship are often processed within a few weeks, but always plan with a buffer.
- Housing: temporary accommodation for the first weeks and a longer-term plan, including an explanation of rental contracts and deposits.
- Arrival logistics: pickup option, route to accommodation, emergency contact, and an initial grocery list.
- Registrations: appointments with the municipality and the IND as soon as possible after arrival. Which step comes first varies by municipality and situation, so align this in advance.
- Health insurance: anyone living or working in the Netherlands generally must take out Dutch health insurance within four months. Explain what this means in practice and what information you can and cannot provide.
If you work with salary thresholds for the highly skilled migrant scheme, be precise. As of 1 January 2026, three separate IND thresholds apply: highly skilled migrant aged 30 and over €5,942, highly skilled migrant under 30 €4,357, and the orientation year scheme €3,122. Which threshold applies depends on the employee’s category.
How do you make the first workday and first month concrete and human?
You make the first workday and first month concrete and human by translating expectations into small, achievable steps and scheduling fixed touchpoints. Highly Skilled Migrants perform faster when they know what success looks like in week 1, week 2, and week 4, and when they feel safe asking questions.
Make it tangible with this approach:
- Define 30-day goals: 3 to 5 clear outcomes, such as a first deliverable, introductions, and completing training.
- Schedule fixed check-ins: after day 1, after week 1, and then weekly through month 1.
- Give the buddy a clear task: not just having coffee, but also helping with practical questions like lunch culture, meeting style, and who is responsible for what.
- Make social connection easy: actively invite someone to lunch, explain how informal communication works, and avoid putting the burden on them to always initiate.
Being human also means taking energy levels and private-life pressure into account. Someone may be starting work while also moving, getting used to public transport, and attending registration appointments. Acknowledging that lowers barriers and prevents miscommunication.
How do you prevent misunderstandings caused by cultural and language differences?
You prevent misunderstandings caused by cultural and language differences by making explicit what you consider normal and checking whether the message has truly landed. Use simple language, avoid implicit hints, and explain processes step by step. For Highly Skilled Migrants, this helps them become independent faster without uncertainty.
Practical measures that have an immediate effect:
- Write agreements down: always briefly confirm decisions, deadlines, and action items by email or chat.
- Use clear definitions: what do “ASAP,” “done,” “ownership,” or “escalate” mean in your organization.
- Make feedback predictable: explain how direct your feedback is and when someone can expect feedback.
- Check understanding without testing: ask “What steps are you going to take now?” instead of “Do you understand?”
Also pay attention to language choices in meetings. If English is the working language, keep slides, documentation, and tools in English as well, so someone doesn’t repeatedly miss information due to a mix of languages.
How All About Expats helps with a warm welcome for international employees
We help you organize a warm welcome by aligning immigration, employment responsibilities, and practical onboarding for Highly Skilled Migrants. This means you have fewer loose ends between the IND process, the start date, registration, and the first working weeks—while remaining compliant with the obligations that come with recognized sponsorship.
Specifically, you can engage us for:
- Immigration support via the highly skilled migrant route: from application to planning the steps after arrival, with realistic processing times.
- Coordination of arrival and settlement: so practical appointments don’t clash with the first workweek.
- Advice on compliance and processes: so HR and hiring managers know what they need to document and communicate, and when.
If you’d like to align on what works best in your situation, you can get in touch via contact opnemen or view our approach for employers at immigratie voor werkgevers.
