Foreign Residents Demand Urgent Action Over Spain’s Failed Appointment System

A nationalist protestation has been called for Saturday November 22 astatine 11am extracurricular nan Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration successful Madrid, arsenic increasing vexation mounts complete what campaigners picture arsenic a complete illness of Spain’s migration system.

The objection has been organised by migration lawyer Pau Ventura, who claims that endless delays, deficiency of unit and insufficient resources are leaving thousands of overseas residents successful ineligible uncertainty and incapable to entree basal authorities specified arsenic work.

Madrid protestation calls retired ‘collapsed’ migration strategy arsenic thousands stay stuck

Spain’s migration assignment strategy has been nether aggravated unit for months, pinch overseas residents reporting that securing an assignment has go almost impossible. The process, which should let individuals to use for residence permits, renew documents aliases complete basal ineligible procedures, now involves waiting weeks aliases moreover months conscionable to entree nan online booking platform.

Applicants often walk hours refreshing nan website, only to find that nary appointments are available.

According to Ventura, migrants are waiting months — and successful galore cases complete a twelvemonth — conscionable to book an assignment aliases person a solution connected their migration files. He insists that nan business has reached a “breaking point”.

Lawyer leads nationalist protestation arsenic migration delays push families into uncertainty

“The migration strategy is wholly collapsed. Many lives are connected hold,” he stated successful nan announcement shared connected societal media.

This illness has created a domino effect. Without an appointment, galore migrants cannot formalise their ineligible status, motion employment contracts aliases entree basal services.

Lawyers and support organisations pass that group are being pushed into a business of ineligible uncertainty contempt complying pinch nan requirements group retired by nan administration. In immoderate cases, occupation offers are being withdrawn because applicants cannot supply nan basal documents successful time.

Ventura besides rejected disapproval directed astatine civilian servants moving successful migration offices, arguing that they are not to blasted for nan existent crisis. “Officials are being blamed, but they are not nan problem. The existent rumor is that nan offices are not being reinforced,” he added.

In a video published connected his Instagram account, nan lawyer described offices arsenic “overwhelmed and understaffed”, pinch families paralysed while opportunities — occupation offers, residence permits and reunification cases — are mislaid each day.

“This is not a protestation against officials. It is simply a request for a dignified, businesslike and humane system,” Ventura explained.

Appointments intolerable to obtain: vexation grows complete Spain’s migration bottleneck

He is inviting anyone affected — migrants, employers, families and supporters — to subordinate nan serene gathering. “If you judge this needs to change, subordinate us. Share nan message. The alteration will not travel by itself. We will make it happen. And it starts now.”

The protestation will return spot connected Saturday November 22 astatine 11am, extracurricular nan Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, C/ José Abascal 39, Madrid.

The deficiency of unit and insufficient resources successful migration offices has been wide criticised by professionals successful nan sector. Trade unions and ineligible experts reason that nan problem is not caused by nan unit themselves, but by years of underfunding. They opportunity urgent reinforcement is needed to forestall thousands of residents successful Spain from remaining successful limbo — incapable to work, scheme their early aliases move guardant pinch their lives.