Excerpt:
An MP from the ruling VVD wants to double the residency period to qualify for a Dutch passport from five to 10 years. MP Malik Azmani says in an interview with Trouw: 'A passport should not be taken as read. You should want to be one of us.'
Currently, foreigners can apply for Dutch nationality after five years, although legislation is currently moving through parliament which will increase that to seven.
Dutch nationality, Azmani said, should be seen as the main prize and something which new arrivals should work towards, step by step. 'You have to grow into society and fight your way in,' he said. 'That is when you build up rights. You have to first show that you have something to offer rather than just hold out your hand.'