This was announced by the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, Elma Saiz, at a press conference following the Council of Ministers. The new regulation “will serve to combat mafias, to combat fraud, and to combat the violation of rights” because it “simplifies” procedures and “delimits” the competencies between consulates and immigration offices. One of the new features is the regulation of the job search visa, for which its validity is extended from three to twelve months.
Furthermore, “from now on, all initial authorizations will be for one year, and renewals will be for four years,” she emphasized. Regarding the residency permits, Saiz noted that the new regulation includes five types of residency: social, socio-educational, socio-labor, family, and the second-chance residency. “The novelty is that they are standardized and the required length of stay in Spain is reduced from three to two years.
The requirements to be met are made more flexible, and it will be allowed to work not only as an employee but also as a self-employed person from the very beginning,” she stated. The minister explained that by the end of 2023, there were 210,334 people with residency permits, 84,983 more than in 2022. “We estimate that with this reform, an average of 300,000 people can be regularized per year over the next three years.”
