Methods of immigration to Spain
There are several legal ways to obtain a residence permit in Spain, depending on your goals, interests, and financial capabilities.
Student residence permit
The document is issued to foreign students of paid educational institutions, certified by the Ministry of Education of Spain, and is updated annually. In addition to the standard set of papers, documents of admission and a certificate of the availability of funds necessary to pay for studies, accommodation, and return to their homeland are required.
You will also need to prove your knowledge of the Spanish language or submit enrollment for language courses in Spain. You have the right to legally work up to 20 hours a week.
Residence permit with the right to work
The residence permit for work is not easy to obtain, given local laws and the unemployment rate In Spain. The fact is that a Spanish employer can invite a foreigner only if they cannot find employees from among their citizens for a long time. The highest chances to conclude a work contract in Spain are highly qualified IT specialists, as well as doctors and engineers.
Acquisition of real estate
Buying real estate in Spain – one or more properties with a total value of € 500,000 for each applicant – allows you to get an investor residence permit, the so-called “Golden Visa”. The purchase of elite real estate can be a profitable deal: firstly, it will forever remain with its owners, acting as an asset, and secondly, if necessary, it can be sold without loss in price.
Another option is to buy several less expensive apartments for the same amount: to live in one, to rent another, or others. It is possible to live permanently in Spain, but it is not at all necessary: it is enough to come to renew documents.
Ownership or long-term lease of any property suitable for living, as well as the availability of funds in a bank account and a permanent source of income. But with such a document, you will have to spend more than six months in Spain (at least 183 days), so a passive source of income outside the country becomes the key.
Investment and business
Investments in the economy, namely the purchase of government securities for € 2,000,000 or more, the purchase of shares or an investment in the capital of a Spanish company (from € 1 million), or opening a bank account for the same amount is another way to get a “golden visa”. It should be noted that in the case of closing the account, the residence permit will not be extended.
Business emigration to Spain is also possible with less money: you have the right to establish your own business with the creation of jobs for the Spaniards and apply for a “regular” residence permit. There are no specific requirements for the number of investments or the number of open vacancies: the main thing is that the business is working.
But since to successfully obtain this type of residence permit, a company by this time must already demonstrate good results and pay taxes, business immigration to Spain is a difficult and lengthy procedure.
Family reunion
You have the right to move to Spain if you have relatives there. After a year of staying in Spain with the status of a temporary residence permit, if it is valid for at least a year in advance, a foreigner can move to Spain with your family (spouse and children), and after 5 years you can move your parents. By the way, emigration and immigration to Spain for pensioners take place on a general basis; the Spanish state does not classify them as privileged categories.
To reunite with the family, you need to have the necessary funds to support the invited relatives: if only a spouse or spouse arrives, for two you will need 1.5 IPREM (the Spanish analog of the minimum wage), for each next one, 0.5 of IPREM is added per month. For relatives, the conditions of residence permits are the same as for the main applicant.
Marriage
Marrying a Spanish citizen or citizen is another way to emigrate. Besides, in this case, a residence permit is issued for 5 years at once and makes it possible to accelerate the acquisition of citizenship.
Of course, the marriage bond should bind the spouses not only with paper obligations but also with real-life together. To put it simply, this type of marriage does not mean obtaining Spanish citizenship. Before issuing a residence permit, newlyweds will have to go through an interview, and in the future, they may expect sudden checks.
Sedentary
This is a way to stay in Spain after ten years of permanent residence if the stay in the country is not legal at the time of application. Those who have received a residence permit by residence are advised to get lost in big cities or having money for living or finding a job without a contract (without documents, it will still not work to conclude a contract).
Refugee status
Asylum can be requested when crossing the border or at the Spanish embassy abroad. Refugee status effectively equates a person with a Spaniard, except for the political rights to elect and be elected. However, it is necessary to prove to the authorities the necessity of obtaining asylum due to political persecution at home or other reasons.