Spain – Immigration Authorities Suspend In-Person and Telephone Consultations
The Spanish immigration authorities have issued an announcement confirming the temporary suspension of in-person and telephone consultations at both the Large Companies Unit (Unidad de Grandes Empresas – “UGE”) as well as the temporary suspension of in-person consultations at the General Subdirectorate of Immigration.
At the same time, immigration officers are working on clarifying the criteria for approval of applications under the Entrepreneur’s Act.
Background
This extraordinary measure is the result of a recent surge in complaints and enquiries from companies and their representative agents, due to delays in processing and an increase in application rejections.
The increased delays and rejections have been caused by uncertainty about the criteria for approval of applications under the Entrepreneur Act of 2013. There is no specific regulation implementing the Entrepreneur Act and, until now, there has been some flexibility (or inconsistency) in interpreting the law (see our recent alerts here and here.
Now, immigration officers are developing fixed criteria and requirements, which will be made public, to make the application process more transparent and to avoid delays and complaints.
Action Items
- Employers hiring foreign national workers under the Entrepreneurs’ Act should consult an immigration specialist for the latest developments.