Tokens: 7
.
I
find
it
difficult
to
conclude
that
the
decisions
taken
at
the
national
level
were
arbitrary
.
They
were
the
result
of
the
application
of
the
“
sliding
scale
principle
”
(
see
paragraphs
22
-
27
of
the
judgment
)
,
i.e.
the
longer
an
alien
has
lawfully
resided
in
the
Netherlands
,
the
more
serious
a
crime
has
to
be
before
a
refusal
of
continued
residence
may
be
justified
.
In
accordance
with
this
policy
,
an
alien
who
,
at
the
time
he
or
she
commits
an
offence
,
has
been
residing
lawfully
in
the
Netherlands
for
less
than
three
years
–
like
the
first
applicant
in
the
present
case
–
would
be
refused
permission
for
continued
residence
if
he
or
she
was
sentenced
to
an
unsuspended
prison
sentence
of
more
than
nine
months
.
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