The current coalition Spanish government will transfer all immigration responsibilities to Catalonia which will permit the Catalonia region of Spain to set their own rules for immigration for the region of Catalonia in Spain.
The current coalition government has announced the transfer of immigration responsibilities to Catalonia.
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Spanish government of PSOE passes immigration responsibilities to Catalonia which permits the Catalonia region of Spain to set their own rules for immigration.
IMMIGRATION IN CATALONIA:
In 2009, a Royal Decree 1463/2009 was published, on September 18, regarding the transfer of functions and services to the Generalitat de Cataluña in immigration matters which permits initial work permits for foreigners whose employment is in Catalonia, whether self-employed or employed by others. This meant that certain authorizations must be managed within the Generalitat’s own offices, not the Foreigners’ Offices, as is the case in the rest of Spain.
Some examples of this, are that if we want to apply for an Initial Residence Authorization for Employment, known as hiring from abroad, and the workplace is in Catalonia, everything must be processed through the Generalitat’s systems.
If we have a Social Roots permit and need to modify it (in practice, a renewal), it is also done through the Autonomous Community of Catalonia.
In practical terms, Catalonia currently manages certain immigration procedures on its own, but not all of them.
But what are we to expect when all powers are transfered to Barcelona?
The answer to this is onkown and is why we are recomending to our clients that they take advantage of the current known systems, before they change and for example the current Golden-Visa regulations.
THE TRANSFER OF IMMIGRATION RESPONSIBILITIES TO CATALONIA:
Late yesterday, it was learnt that Catalonia will be the first Autonomous Community with exclusive and total responsibilities in immigration matters. The government will transfer these responsibilities after an agreement with Junts.
Until now, everything related to immigration has been controlled and exercised at the state level (as stated in Article 149 of the Constitution). The intention is to transfer or delegate these immigration responsibilities based on Article 150.2 of the Constitution, “through a specific organic law for Catalonia.” Therefore, the next step would be to detail this organic law to bring it to Parliament and get it approved.
For the past few months, several mayors of Junts have openly denounced groups of immigrants as responsible for insecurity in their municipalities, a flirtation with xenophobic positions that also aims to stand out against the rise of parties like Aliança Catalana, governing in Ripoll with a pro-secession and Islamophobic discourse.
CHANGES FOR IMMIGRATION IN CATALONIA:
What will this change entail? What does it mean for Catalonia to have immigration responsibilities?
In this case, it would mean that the Autonomous Community of Catalonia will manage all immigration procedures, such as initial authorizations, renewals, modifications, etc. Once these responsibilities are transferred to Catalonia, it would disconnect from regulated immigration in Spain to handle it autonomously.
Additionally, this means having control over immigration matters, and the responsibilities or work assigned to the National Police would be transferred to the Mossos d’Esquadra. Some voices are already suggesting that these changes would result in a loss of responsibilities for National Police officers stationed in Catalonia.
The news is spreading like wildfire on social media, and all media outlets are talking about it. The extent of these changes and what they will mean for those living in Catalonia due to this.
ALL TYPES OF RESIDENCY AVAILABLE IN SPAIN:
- Golden-Visa Spain (Spain citizenship by investment)
- Non-Lucrative visa Spain (Spain visa non lucrative)
- Self-Employed visa Spain (self employed expats in Spain)
- Digital-Nomad visa Spain (remote worker in Spain)
Please see-here our video-blog with options and legal-advice to obtain residency in Spain.
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Permanent residency is obtained after 5 years of Spanish Residency through Self-Employed Residency, Digital-Nomad, Non-Lucrative Residency or Golden-Visa. This followed by 5 years as a permanent resident in Spain and means you can then obtain Spanish Citizenship with a Spanish Passport.
