Gemeente Leiden responds to the city’s international character

Leiden is the home to different groups of international residents, such as expats, labour migrants, foreign students, but also (recently, Ukrainian) refugees. The municipality wants to make sure that Leiden remains a good place to live, work, and learn, for everyone, international and non-international alike. To that purpose, in September 2020, a policy was established: the vision Internationalisation. Now, the next step has been taken: committing to an executive plan.

International city of knowledge

For centuries, Leiden has been a city with residents from different countries and cultures. More than one out of ten (11.2%) of Leiden’s residents has a non-Dutch nationality. Because of our strong position as an international ‘city of knowledge’ (Kennisstad), it is expected that more internationals will settle in Leiden in the coming years, either for a short or longer term.

Executive plan

In the executive plan pertaining to the vision internationalisation 2021-2024, actions have been defined that will help in making everyone feel comfortable in an increasingly international city. Some priority actions involve stimulating encounters between international and non-international residents, and improving relationships with relevant partners throughout the city.

With the vision Internationalisation and this subsequent executive plan, the municipality responds to the internationalisation of the Leiden community, and continues the ancient tradition of being ‘a city for everyone’. For more information, you can contact Laura Platte or Fianne de Boer.