Highly-skilled migrant. Then, after that, permanent resident also renewable every 5 years.

So... easy to get a visa if you're a highly-skilled migrant.

That's not everybody.

That's not most people.

As someone in America on the "highly-skilled migrant" visa/green card, I can guarantee you that even that is not straightforward here. It's exactly as stress-inducing and risky-feeling as every other US visa, just with a slightly higher chance of success if you fulfill enough criteria.

So even this is a noteworthy point of distinction between NL and here.

Sorry...where did I imply that anyone could get one? Most anyone who graduates and finds a job sure can; and from what I gather it's a far easier and less Kafkaesque process than in the US, too.

I was primarily responding to the point that 5 year visas are unheard of in Europe (which is plainly false).

I'm not really sure what you're trying to say.

I was responding to "relatively straight forward".

It was "relatively straight forward" because you are a highly-skilled migrant.