Spain: The job search visa goes from 3 months to one year

“The objective is to strengthen and broaden the paths of access to regularization for migrants which are located in Spainso that they can lead a full life as citizens: have rights and duties”, explained the Minister of Inclusion and Migration Elma Size. According to figures cited by the minister, some 210,000 migrants were registered at the end of 2023 in the various procedures leading to the naturalization today in Spainor 85,000 more people than in 2022.

Thanks to the reform adopted Tuesday, the government estimates that up to 300,000 immigrants could be regularized each year over the next three years. “As we have repeated on several occasions, various national and international organizations (…) believe that theSpain needs around 250,000 to 300,000 foreign workers per year to maintain their standard of living”, insisted the minister at a press conference.

“As the Prime Minister said Pedro Sanchez a few weeks ago, theSpain must choose between being an open and prosperous country or being a closed and poor country. And we chose the first option,” she continued.

This regulatory reform provides in particular for a reduction in deadlines and formalities for obtaining residence permitsthe “reinforcement” of rights of migrant workersthe extension from three months to one year of the duration of job search visa and the creation of new statutes paving the way for a regularization.

According to the minister Elma Sizesome 2.9 million foreigners already contribute each month to the social securityor 13.6% of total affiliates, “two points more than just two years ago”.

Favorable to a reception policy for mainly economic reasons, the Spanish government is an exception on the migration issue within theEuropean Unionin contrast to the hardening carried out by many countries in the bloc.