THE HAGUE, 27/01/04 - The Christian democrats (CDA) consider a stop must be put to fake labour contracts used to bring foreign partners to the Netherlands. CDA MP Sterk wants details from Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk on the scale of this practice, and what she plans to do about it.

The MP was reacting to a report in De Volkskrant last Saturday that hundreds to some thousands of brides and bridegrooms come to the Netherlands every year on a fake contract. The importing partner must prove that he or she earns at least 70 percent of the minimum wage for a household of more than one person.

Welfare payments body UWV confirms that dubious temporary employment bureaus are guilty of trading in labour contracts. The bureaus pay the UWV premiums, which are then paid back to them by the partners. When the spouse arrives, the contract is ended. The UWV and the Immigration and Naturalisation Service cannot however say anything about the scale of the fraud.

Sterk wants Verdonk to tackle the problem. The MP fears that it will increase rapidly as the condition for forming a family is going up from 70 to 120 percent of the minimum wage. The cabinet has also decided to raise the minimum age requirement for the imported partner to 21 years, though a parliamentary majority is urging a bigger increase to 24 years.