The Spanish government approved this Tuesday a reform that facilitates the regularization of immigrants in the country, which faces a lack of personnel in different sectors such as tourism or agriculture, despite the high unemployment rate it suffers.
This reform, adopted by the Council of Ministers, provides for “measures of great depth”, which aim to promote “an orderly and safe regular migration”, said the Minister of Social Security, José Luis Escrivá, at a press conference.
These measures aim to “improve the Spanish migratory model and its procedures, in many cases slow and inadequate, which generates prolonged periods of irregularity, with high social and economic costs,” the ministry stressed.
Despite having one of the highest unemployment rates in the euro zone, at 13.65%, Spain has suffered for years from a lack of labor in some sectors of activity, such as hospitality, agriculture, construction or transport .
This phenomenon, which worsened after the covid-19 pandemic, is regularly pointed out by companies in these sectors, which claim to have problems hiring employees, which limits their growth prospects.
These changes will take effect on August 16. Next, we explain what this law is about and who the main beneficiaries are.
Changes in the immigration law of Spain
The text especially facilitates the regularization of undocumented immigrants who have already been in Spanish territory for more than two years. Those who find themselves in this situation will be able to access a job legally or undertake training in sectors where there are many unfilled vacancies.
“The figure of rooting in training is created, which will grant residence authorization for one year (12 months) to foreigners who have remained continuously for two years in national territory, if they undertake to carry out regulated training for employment. and it can be extended for another 12 months”, explained Elena Pozo, a lawyer specializing in immigration who has donated her knowledge to the Spanish digital media.
Once the training has been completed, and during the validity of the residence permit, the interested party will submit the application for a residence and work permit to the Immigration Office, states the Royal Decree.
The application must be submitted together with an employment contract signed by the worker and the employer that guarantees at least the minimum interprofessional salary, or that established by the applicable collective agreement, at the time of the application, and proof of having passed the training provided in the residence application.
In these cases, the Immigration Office will grant a two-year authorization that will enable you to work.
The reform also simplifies access to employment for foreign students, who will be able to work up to 30 hours per week during their studies, and even enter the labor market afterwards, without having to live in Spain for three years.
In addition, once they have finished their studies, they will be able to stay one more year without having to request an extension of their stay in Spain.
“Before the reform, whoever had a study permit, if he worked, did so irregularly and this didn’t make any sense,” said Gemma Pinyol-Jiménez, director of migration policies at Instrategies, a consulting firm specializing in mobility, migration and diversity management, in an interview
The amendments to the law allow the stay authorization, with some specific criteria, to be converted into a work authorization.
This is also a benefit for Spain, as it is a way of guaranteeing that those who have studied and completed third-grade training —because this is designed for the highly qualified— can access the Spanish labor market”, assured the specialist consulted. by the British medium.
The new regulation also favors family reunification and the granting of work visas in the most stressed sectors of activity, simplifying and standardizing the administrative processes to be followed.
Hiring in the workers’ own countries of origin will also be made more flexible. On the one hand, hiring for temporary workers is improved.
From now on, these workers who go to Spain to participate, for example, in agricultural campaigns, will be able to access a four-year authorization in which they will be able to work up to nine months per year, with the obligation to return to their countries after each period.
If these conditions are met, as a “prize”, these workers may apply for a residence and work permit for two years, renewable.
With information from AFP
