WILLEMSTAD – MFK Member of Parliament Ishahier Monte is calling on the Curaçao government to investigate what prevents Curaçaoans living in the Netherlands from returning to the island and what measures could encourage them to come home.
In a letter dated September 8 to Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas, Monte argues that Curaçao should make greater efforts to attract its own people abroad as the economy grows, the population ages and employers increasingly need qualified workers.
For decades, young Curaçaoans have traveled to the Netherlands to pursue education, with the expectation that the knowledge and experience they acquire could eventually contribute to Curaçao's development. However, according to Monte, many remain in the Netherlands after completing their studies, while others who later consider returning encounter obstacles that make the move difficult.
The parliamentarian believes the issue has become increasingly important because Curaçao needs a larger working-age population to support economic growth and help maintain social funds, including the pension system.
Monte cited figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) showing that at the beginning of 2026, 199,164 people in the Netherlands were classified as having a “Dutch Caribbean” origin. Of that group, 108,823 were born outside the Netherlands. The figures cover the Dutch Caribbean population broadly and therefore do not indicate how many are specifically from Curaçao.
According to Monte, this makes it important for the government to obtain more precise and up-to-date information about Curaçaoans in the Netherlands and determine how many might be interested in returning.
The issue is not new. Monte referred to research conducted by Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2011 on the return of Curaçaoan students. He argues that the study is now more than 15 years old and concentrated primarily on people who pursued university education.
Monte wants a new study to be considerably broader. He proposes including Curaçaoans with different educational backgrounds as well as students, employed people and retirees. The results should also examine differences according to age and the number of years people have lived in the Netherlands.
He pointed to studies conducted under the Curaçao Country Package on the labor market, social security, poverty and the relationship between education and employment. According to Monte, one of those reports recommended a more organized and structural approach to encouraging Curaçaoans abroad to return.
The MP said the Country Package has also identified remigration as an issue deserving structural attention, but he has been unable to find a recent comprehensive study answering two fundamental questions: what prevents Curaçaoans in the Netherlands from returning, and what could motivate or help them to do so?
Monte proposes giving Curaçao's Minister Plenipotentiary in the Netherlands, Sidney Justiana, a central role in such an investigation. He believes the Curaçao House in The Hague is well positioned to communicate directly with Curaçaoans living in the Netherlands and collect information about their experiences and needs.
The study should not focus exclusively on people who have remained abroad. Monte also wants the government to examine the experiences of Curaçaoans who have already returned, including what persuaded them to move home, what difficulties they encountered and what lessons could make remigration easier for others.
According to Monte, concerns about the loss of Caribbean talent have also reached the Dutch Parliament, where the issue of “brain drain” from the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom has received political attention.
The MFK parliamentarian is asking Pisas whether the government is prepared to commission the proposed research and use the findings as a basis for developing policies aimed at attracting Curaçaoan talent back to the island.
For Monte, the central question should no longer simply be why Curaçaoans abroad do not return.
Instead, he argues, Curaçao should ask what the country itself must change to make returning home a realistic and attractive option.
Monte submitted the questions under Article 96 of the Rules of Procedure of Curaçao Parliament and requested a written response from the prime minister.