Recruiter Message Filter

A fast checklist to tell, in about a minute, whether a Dutch recruiter’s message is a real PH to NL sponsor opportunity or a waste of your time.

Who this is for

Filipino devs in the Philippines who are getting LinkedIn and email messages from Dutch recruiters and agencies, and cannot always tell which ones can actually hire someone who needs visa sponsorship and relocation.

What this helps you decide or do

Decide whether to reply, ask for specifics, or ignore. The goal is to spend your energy only on roles where the company can sponsor a non-EU hire and is open to someone relocating from PH, instead of getting strung along by recruiters who never checked.

Quick checklist

1. Does the message name a specific company and role, or just “an exciting opportunity”? No named company means ask before investing time.
2. Is the recruiter internal (works at the company) or external (agency placing you elsewhere)? Ask directly. Both can be fine, but it changes who actually decides on sponsorship.
3. Ask one filter question early: “Is this role open to a candidate who needs visa sponsorship and is relocating from the Philippines?” A vague answer is your answer.
4. Cross-check the hiring company name yourself against the IND public register of recognised sponsors. If you cannot confirm the company can sponsor, treat sponsorship as unconfirmed, not promised.
5. Confirm the salary is stated as a euro figure, not pesos and not “competitive”. You need a number to sanity-check against the current IND salary threshold for your age bracket (look up the current figure, do not trust a recruiter’s rounding).
6. Ask whether the role is on-site in NL, hybrid, or remote-from-PH. Remote-from-PH usually does NOT lead to a Dutch work visa, so be clear on which one this is.
7. Ask who covers relocation and the 30% ruling paperwork. The 30% ruling still exists and is changing to 27% in 2027, so a recruiter who says it is gone has not done their homework.
8. Check if they want money from you. A legit Dutch employer or recognised sponsor does not charge you a placement fee. For agency hires the DMW fee cap is up to one month basic salary, so anything beyond that is a red flag.
9. Note their response time and specificity. A recruiter who answers your sponsorship and salary questions with real detail is worth your CV. One who dodges twice is not.

Common mistakes

• Replying with your full CV before confirming the company can sponsor at all.
• Assuming “remote” means you can stay in PH and still get a Dutch visa.
• Trusting a recruiter’s claim about thresholds, taxes, or the 30% ruling instead of verifying the current numbers.
• Paying any fee to a recruiter for a direct-hire role.

What to verify

• Whether the hiring company is on the IND public register of recognised sponsors (check it yourself).
• The current IND salary threshold for your age bracket, on the official IND source.
• For agency routes, the DMW rules and the one-month placement fee cap.

Jake note

I came over by direct hire, not through an agency, and my own paperwork cost was 6,703.75 pesos total. Most of the messages I got early on fell apart the moment I asked the sponsorship question, so I started asking it first.