Just as Spain’s extraordinary regularisation programme for an estimated half-million undocumented residents is due to open applications, Valencia’s city council has abolished the only permanent immigration-lawyer position at its municipal Migrant Assistance Centre (CAI). Opposition councillors warn that the move will “collapse” local advisory services when demand spikes in mid-April. The conservative PP-Vox coalition running the city argues that immigration is a national competence and says it will outsource legal advice to a 2024 NGO contract, a solution critics call “woefully inadequate”. The CAI traditionally guides migrants through residency, arraigo social and humanitarian-permit procedures; it also issues reports required by the labour authorities. Removing on-site legal expertise could force thousands of applicants to pay private agents—an already-booming grey market charging up to €300 per appointment slot. For employers sponsoring staff through the one-off regularisation, the bottleneck risks delaying documentation needed to convert clandestine work arrangements into legal contracts, with payroll and tax consequences. HR teams should prepare contingency plans, such as engaging accredited lawyers early and scheduling appointments in surrounding municipalities where capacity still exists.
Source: El País
