Bridging the gap between Indian nurses and Dutch healthcare.
We bring qualified nurses from India into Dutch healthcare and stay with them the whole way: the language, the paperwork, the move and the first year of building a life here.
BIG-track started, Dutch at B2 — before setting foot in the Netherlands.
For nurses
Grow your career, supported every step
Earn and save meaningfully, gain international experience, and build toward an empowered future. We guide you learning the language, take care of the paperwork and support you in everday life long after your arrival. More information
For employers
Nurses who arrive ready
Dutch at B2 minimum and ready to work as assisting nurses from day one. BIG registration completes on the job within six months. We handle everything from visa to housing. More information
-
“Dutch healthcare system expected to face a shortage of 266,000 workers by 2035.”
Health minister Fleur Agema presented these figures to parliament in December 2024 — tens of thousands higher than the previous year's projection, driven by slower-than-expected reductions in staff absence. The largest gaps are in nursing homes and home care. At the time of publication, the system was already 44,000 workers short.
Tap to read more
NL Times 2024
-
“India is the second-largest source country for internationally trained nurses in OECD countries.”
The OECD's 2025 International Migration Outlook recorded 122,400 Indian-trained nurses working across OECD member states in 2020–21, a 435% increase since 2000. India ranks second globally as a source country, behind the Philippines. The report identifies structural workforce shortages across ageing OECD populations as the primary driver of continued demand.
Tap to read more
OECD 2025
-
“83% of the increase of nearly 120,000 nurses in the UK between 2010 and 2023 relied on nurses trained abroad.”
The Health Foundation's analysis shows the NHS's nursing workforce growth over 13 years was overwhelmingly dependent on international recruitment. In 2022–23, half of all new joiners to the NMC register were internationally educated. Across OECD countries in the same period, the number of foreign-trained nurses rose 69%, reaching over 800,000.
Tap to read more
The Health Foundation 2025
-
“Insufficient pre-departure support significantly affects internationally educated nurses' cultural adjustment, professional readiness, and overall successful integration.”
This is a direct finding from a 2024 systematic review published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies, covering research from 2019–2023. The review identified pre-departure preparation as a decisive factor in integration outcomes and recommends that host countries provide structured support before arrival, not only after.
Tap to read more
Int. Journal of Nursing Studies 2024
-
“Internationally educated nurses face unique hurdles and need specific support.”
Nursing Times covered research showing internationally educated nurses encounter barriers domestic nurses do not: unfamiliar documentation systems, different scope-of-practice boundaries, and professional isolation. The piece argues that structured transition support should be a standard requirement for any employer recruiting internationally, not an optional benefit.
Tap to read more
Nursing Times 2024
The pathway
From Indian diploma to Dutch nurse
-
Apply & assess
You share your qualifications and goals; we check fit against Dutch requirements.
-
Prepare & learn Dutch
Months of Dutch language and care-context training, in India, before you travel.
-
BIG-track started
We start your diploma evaluation and BIG-register route before you travel.
-
Placement & visa
Matched to a Dutch employer, with your work-and-residence permit arranged.
-
Registration & beyond
BIG registration completes on the job. Fully independent within six months.
India
29.2
Median age. One of the youngest major populations in the world.
3.3M+
Registered nurses, growing every year
The Netherlands
42.5
Median age. Ageing workforce, structural care shortage.
266,000
Healthcare workers short by 2035
Two countries, opposite problems.
Whether you are a nurse ready for an empowered future or an employer facing a structural shortage: take the first step.