"Almost 6,700 American nationals had applied for a visa to work, be with family or study in the Netherlands by the end of November this year, according to immigration service figures, and that is by far the highest number in the past 10 years.
The total is likely to be higher once December, traditionally a busy month, is taken into account, current affairs programme Nieuwsuur reported at the weekend. (…)
Asylum requests submitted via the IND are also rising, with over 60 since the beginning of this year, compared with around 20 in the whole of 2024. Most are from members of the LGBTQ+ community fleeing repression under Trump."
I’m envious. No really, I wish I could pack up my life and move to the Netherlands. It sounds like a fantastic place. I just worry that if so many Americans are fleeing to stable European democracies, that they will eventually become a nuisance and wear out their welcome, regardless of how well behaved some of us might try to be. Our reputation as an ignorant, uncurious and closed-minded people was not entirely unearned.