Dutch Deputy Justice Minister Nebahat Albayrak says that efforts aimed at stopping immigrants from bringing partners into the Netherlands through other European countries are proving effective.

Currently, Dutch nationals can temporarily move to other EU countries with less strict immigration policies and then return with a partner to the Netherlands. The deputy justice minister says the rapid growth of such stealth immigration has now been brought to a halt.

Between 2005 and 2008 the number of immigration requests submitted by people using this stealth route doubled. However, since the beginning of this year, the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Department has been stricter in screening for fake relationships and has been rejecting more requests. EU rules regarding family reunification are more lenient than those in force in the Netherlands.

Deputy Justice Minister Nebahat Albayrak (Photo: ANP)