Marks the day of the first registration of a foreign expat by the Expat Centre Leiden (ECL). The registration of Mrs Tromeur, a French employee of the LUMC who will start her job at the department of internal medicine from the beginning of November, is a first milestone for the Expat Centre Leiden.
Together with a number of partners, the Expat Centre’s recently appointed manager Corine van der Ceelen has been working hard in preparation of the service. From today, the Expat Centre Leiden is fully equipped to adequately provide expats, companies and municipalities with information, registrations and/or referrals.
New phase
The regional Expat Centre was initiated by Economie071. This cooperation between entrepreneurs, authorities, educational institutions and knowledge institutes was established in order to create a favourable expat climate with opportunities for the entire region. The possibility of a municipal registration by the Expat Centre Leiden constitutes a new first step for the Leiden region. According to Corine van der Ceelen, manager of the ECL: “With this registration and the presence of ACCESS, the ECL has entered a new phase, on the road to a ‘one-stop shop’ which will enable us to be of service to internationals in every stage of their stay in the region”. Van der Ceelen explains that, as yet, the registration service is only available for internationals who will live and/or work in Leiden. “The next step will be to register expats from the municipalities of Oegstgeest, Voorschoten, Katwijk, Leiderdorp and Zoeterwoude here”, according to Van der Ceelen.
ACCES
The Expat Centre offers services in four steps: ‘Coming to, Settling in, Living in and Leaving to. The centre is supported by ACCESS, a non-profit organisation of expat volunteers who are exceptionally good at sharing their knowledge, skills and cultural background. Wendelien Tönjann, Alderman for the municipality of Oegstgeest and administrative initiator for Economie071, welcomes the developments: “I am happy to see the Expat Centre entering a new phase. The ECL contributes to the reputation of the Leiden region as an international knowledge region. We now have one central contact point for international employees and companies, offering an even more attractive business climate and ensuring international commercial activity”.
LUMC chairman Henk Gerla, also administrative initiator for Economie071, agrees. “The fact that we have an expat centre up and running in our 071 region, is a milestone. It enables us to offer many expats a professional welcome to our beautiful region. An important boost for our local economies”, according to Gerla.
Practical information
For additional information, please visit our website www.expatcentreleiden.nl. The Expat Centre Leiden is located at the Tourist Information Office (VVV), near Central Station at Stationsweg 26 and is open on Monday, Thursday and Friday from 09.00 – 13.00 hrs. and on Wednesday from 13.00 – 17.00 hrs.