Foreigners in residence permits boost

26 April 2004

MADRID – Immigrants who are working in stable jobs but are not registered with the authorities may be able to get residence permits more quickly,  the Minister of Employment and Social Affairs said Monday.

Jesús Caldera said the government wanted to examine ways to make it easier for these people to obtain a permit.

This would only happen after their jobs were legally registered for social security.

But Caldera stressed the new Socialist administration did not want to open the doors to every immigrant who is not registered with the system.
 
He said only those who were already working should contribute taxes to help maintain the prosperity of the Spanish economy.

Caldera said: “It would be a priority target to talk with those political forces and ‘social agents’ to see if we can reach those employees if they are in stable work and give them residence permits.”

He said the black economy was an  “important phenomenon” in Spain as were the numbers of people who do not have residence permits.

Caldera added that many people who do not have permits were employed.
 
He added that often business people say they cannot provide paperwork which would register immigrants’ jobs within the system because many workers do not have the proper paperwork.
 
But at the same time, many business people say they are bona fide workers.

Caldera said more ways should be found within the European Union to control ‘irregular’ or illegal immigration 

He added that most illegal immigrants to Spain were from sub-Saharan Africa, not Morocco.

Caldera added that Spain is to work more closely with Morocco to stem the number of illegal immigrants.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

                                                              Subject: Spanish news