Job switchers left in silence after a change-of-employer filing have no easy way to tell whether the delay is routine or a sign of trouble. A binding decision deadline now applies to these cases, which changes both what counts as too long and what can be done about it.
It's more normal than it feels when you're the one waiting, but there's a real number to hold the IND to now. Since 22 May 2026, under the new EU Directive 2024/1233 rules, if you already hold a valid HSM permit and you're just changing employer, the IND has to decide within 45 days, with a possible 15-day extension only in genuinely exceptional cases — so 60 days should be close to the outer edge for most people. Before that rule took effect, change-of-employer processing was less tightly bound and could run longer without much recourse. If you're well past 45–60 days, contact the IND directly, or have your new employer's HR or immigration lawyer chase it, rather than assuming it'll resolve itself — delays are usually a missing document, an outstanding sponsor verification, or a slow security check, not a sign something's wrong with your file. Worth knowing: if the IND blows past its own deadline, you may in some circumstances still be allowed to start working for the new employer while the decision is pending, provided you otherwise meet the permit conditions — confirm your specific case with an immigration lawyer rather than assume.