Spain approves reform making it easier for foreigners to work in country

By Alyssa McMurtry

MADRID (AA) - The Spanish government approved sweeping reform to its immigration laws Tuesday to make it easier for foreigners to work in Spain.

Although Spain has one of the highest unemployment rates in the European Union – around 13% — the country aims to cover vacant job postings and regularize the labor situation of migrants who already live here.

Under the reform, Spain will allow foreigners living in the country for more than two years to access training related to in-demand professions, which would act as a “bridge” to Spain’s legal labor market, according to Migration Minister Jose Luis Escriva.

In Spain, the bulk of the unfilled positions are in the agricultural and service sectors.

The reform will also allow the around 50,000 foreign students studying in Spain to work and make it easier for them to access the labor market once they have finished their studies.

Reforms will also be applied to seasonal migrant workers and make it easier for foreigners to register as self-employed workers.

Meanwhile, the reform will make it easier for employers to hire workers abroad for highly-demanded positions and intends to speed up and simplify all immigration processes.

Overall, Spain’s goal with the reform is to “promote legal, safe and organized migration,” according to Escriva.

In 2022, more than 15,000 migrants have made their way to Spain through irregular migration paths by land or sea. More than 9,300 of them arrived via the dangerous Canary Islands route, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of people so far this year.

The migration reform was passed despite objections from Spain’s Interior Ministry, which alleged the changes would only promote illegal immigration, according to the Spanish daily El Pais.

The reform, with further details, is set to be published in Spain’s official gazette on Wednesday and take effect 20 days after publication.