When Public Messaging Doesn’t Match Migrant Experience, The Qredits Gap

You’re trying to build something meaningful in a country you’re still learning to navigate, carrying your hopes, your family’s future, and all the sacrifices that brought you here.

Along the way, you encounter institutions that say they understand you, that they are inclusive, supportive, and different from the traditional systems that often leave newcomers feeling unseen. But when that message doesn’t match the reality you face, the emotional impact can be much more profound than people realise.

This piece is my own experience and reflection on that gap, and why it matters so much for migrants who are trying their best to create stability, opportunity, and belonging.

My Experience, Mission vs. Practice: The Qredits Gap

Qredits presents itself as a social, EU-supported lender that helps people who are often rejected by traditional banks, including migrants, newcomers, and entrepreneurs who “think differently.” That messaging is powerful; it gives hope, but this is where Mission vs. Practice: The Qredits Gap shows.

But in my own case, as a migrant entrepreneur, the reality did not align with that message.

My first attempt to start a business began in 2019, when I applied to the Gemeente Groningen for support through the Besluit bijstandverlening zelfstandigen (Bbz). At that time, I had already completed a summer internship in a restaurant (2018) to prepare myself. Despite this effort, my application was rejected. I was advised to gain more experience, so I did exactly that and spent the rest of the year building my skills in the horeca.

In early 2023, when life finally returned to some form of normalcy after the pandemic, I approached the municipality again. This time, I was not only rejected but was also told that my plans were “too ambitious.” The only suggestion given was that they might reconsider if I could secure financing from Qredits.

I then applied to Qredits, met with them in person for the first time, and was ultimately declined because they considered me “too high risk.” Their reasoning centred around my lack of a Dutch financial background and the fact that I had spent years in full-time motherhood while navigating migration.

Despite all of this, I kept looking for solutions. Through determination, partnerships, and support from people who believed in our concept, we secured a location and enough capital to open our first restaurant in October 2023.

After winter, we sought additional funding to prepare for the summer season, mainly to purchase equipment that would increase revenue and attract more guests. The assessor visited us, listened to our mission and vision, but the follow-up was slow. We were deprioritised and experienced repeated delays. It took almost three months for any support to arrive, and only after I posted a public review of the situation.

Most recently, when we began preparing for our relocation to Groningen, we sought assistance from a third party to secure relocation capital. That party informed us that Qredits had expressed interest and wanted to meet us in person. But shortly after, they withdrew again. The eventual rejection was based on our first-year projections not matching expectations, something almost every entrepreneur knows is normal, especially in a small market like Winschoten, where our revenue was actually modest but reasonable for the location.

And although Qredits publicly states that they “look not only at numbers, but at the person,” we were never offered the opportunity to sit down and be heard in this most recent assessment, even though the person behind the business was exactly what they claim to evaluate.

As migrants, our financial histories are interrupted by moving across countries. We carry unique challenges that do not fit neatly into traditional risk frameworks. And when the first point of assessment is often an ex-bank employee using a bank-style evaluation, it can feel like the mission and the practice are not speaking to each other.

The Emotional Layer Migrants Carry

For many of us, starting a business is not a luxury; it’s a way to integrate, to contribute, to create a stable future for our families. We do this while handling language barriers, cultural adjustments, financial strain, parenting, trauma or relocation stress, limited networks, and bureaucratic uncertainty.

When institutions claim to support migrants but assess in traditional ways, it hits deeper than “just a no.” It affects our confidence. It affects our sense of belonging. It affects how safe we feel asking for help again.

And the emotional cost is often invisible to those who evaluate us.

A Larger Structural Gap

After reading publicly available government and EU guidelines for Qredits, it became clear that inclusivity is not explicitly required, migrant-sensitive assessment is not mandated, and Qredits must still follow risk-based frameworks.

This may explain the contradiction many migrants feel:

The mission sounds inclusive, but the process still feels like a bank.

It doesn’t mean anyone is acting with evil intent. It means the system itself has not caught up with its own values.

Closing Reflection

Finding the courage to speak about experiences like this is not about pointing fingers or staying stuck in frustration. It’s about creating space for honesty, healing, and the kind of conversations that help migrant entrepreneurs feel less isolated on their journey.

My hope is that sharing my story helps others make sense of their own, and that one day our systems will reflect the same compassion, fairness, and humanity that so many newcomers carry within them.

Until then, our voices matter and telling the truth, gently but firmly, is part of building the future we deserve.

Share Your Experience

If you are a migrant entrepreneur who has faced similar challenges or felt discouraged during your journey, whether with financing, integration, or navigating Dutch institutions, you are welcome to share your experience in the comments.

It would also help us craft a collective voice going forward, so that the structural gaps small entrepreneurs face, especially migrants, can be better understood and addressed in future policy conversations, especially as parties actively exploring solutions for economic inclusion.

Your story matters. It may help someone else feel less alone.

This space is for respectful storytelling and community reflection. Share only what feels safe and kind.

Disclaimer

This post reflects my personal experience and perspective as a migrant entrepreneur and psychosocial counsellor. It is not intended to accuse, harm, or misrepresent any organisation. Readers who share their stories are responsible for their own statements. This platform is for honest experiences and community reflection, not hostility.

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