Undocumented elderly
Undocumented elderly in the Netherlands lead a marginalized existence. In practice, they have little or no access to basic medical and social services. Many have been in the Netherlands for decades and cannot return to their country of origin.
Due to their increasing vulnerability, it is increasingly difficult to provide for themselves and the elderly become increasingly dependent on others. That is the conclusion of research on undocumented elderly in the Netherlands. Among other things, De Regenboog Groep, initiator of the study, advocates a residence permit for elderly people who have been in the Netherlands for fifteen years or more.
Some 750 older, undocumented Surinamese live in Amsterdam. People aged 50 or older who were born Dutch, but lost their Dutch citizenship due to Suriname's independence.
.Long-term care for undocumented people
The Regenboog Groep, together with The Crossroads in 2025, wrote a practical guide for caregivers working with undocumented clients. It offers concrete tools for organizing long-term care. Read what can be done formally and what else is possible.
'Too old to be illegal'
On June 15, 2022, Boom Publishers published a diptych on the problems of long-term undocumented elderly in the Netherlands. The research for the reports was done at the initiative of De Regenboog Groep in Amsterdam as part of the project "Too old to be illegal. Scientists from several universities including Erasmus University Rotterdam, and the universities of Amsterdam and Utrecht, did the research and wrote the reports.
The diptych consists of a social science section and a legal section.
The first volume, "Fighting with life," describes day-to-day issues in housing, income, health and social inclusion.
Part Two, 'Juridical_exploration_of_the_right_to_provisions_and_stay_for_older_undocumented_people_inside_work_definitive_version.pdf">' describes immigration policy and legislation since the 1990s.
'It would be nice if I get a residence permit before I turn 70, so I can have a better life my last years.'
Legalization older Surinamese
A portion of the group of older undocumented Amsterdam residents concerns Surinamese who were born as Dutch citizens before Suriname's independence in 1975 and have lived undocumented in the Netherlands for many years.
Despite the fact that their entire family resides legally in the Netherlands, for a long time they have never been able to obtain the proper papers. In a letter to the State Secretary of Justice, De Regenboog Groep called for legalization of this group of elderly undocumented people on legal, historical and moral grounds. In this publication, De Regenboog Groep described their problems at the time.
The residence arrangement: notification and implementation
In 2024, the time had come, thanks in part to the work of De Regenboog Groep, a residency arrangement was made for Surinamese born before November 1975 who had lived in the Netherlands continuously for at least 10 years.
On January 1, 2025, ASKV (Amsterdams Solidariteits Komitee Vluchtelingen (ASKV) ) opened a counter in Amsterdam Southeast where people could apply for residence permits. And it's going fast! More than 130 permits have now been issued. Anyone wanting information about the scheme can visit ASKV to go.
Sustainable solution
The researchers say the situation of undocumented elderly in the Netherlands is a result of the government's restrictive immigration policy that has made the chances of admission based on personal distressing circumstances or family reunification very slim in recent years.
With the project, De Regenboog Groep wants to stimulate a national discussion about the need to reach a sustainable solution for the group of older, long-term undocumented people living in the Netherlands.
Recommendations
The scientists make a number of important recommendations for sustainable solutions. They advise the Dutch government to:
- realize legal residence for elderly people who have been in the Netherlands for 15 years or more;
- reintroduce the extended family reunification scheme;
- respect the discretionary power of the secretary of state; and
- establish an interdisciplinary committee with the power to advise in harrowing immigration cases;
- reverse the excesses of the Linkage Act;
Want to know more?
The reports are available from Boom Publishers.
For more information, email Frederiek de Vlaming: fdvlaming@deregenboog.org
Stay informed about the "Too old to be illegal" project? Then sign up for the newsletter at fdvlaming@deregenboog.org
Background information
Below is background information on the project: "Too Old To Be Illegal"
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