Previously, this measure was introduced to tighten family reunification rules. This law applied only to marriages or civil unions that were concluded before one of the spouses moved to the Netherlands. Marriages concluded after the move were subject to different rules. But EU legislation makes no such distinction.
The reason for the decision to repeal the unfair law was the case of a Dutch woman who wanted to bring her Sri Lankan husband to her homeland. Her income was above the minimum subsistence level but insufficient under the law, after which she filed a lawsuit.
Last month, the Netherlands also repealed a rule requiring foreign spouses of Dutch citizens from Western countries to hold citizenship of their home country.