Speaking at a party conference in Valladolid on 20 September and reiterated to reporters on the 21st, Partido Popular president Isabel Díaz Ayuso urged the government to “close our doors to those who refuse to contribute” and toughen criteria for family-reunification and social-assistance eligibility. Although framed as a cost-of-living measure, the comments mark the PP’s sharpest rhetoric since Spain liberalised work-permit rules in 2022 to alleviate labour shortages. Ayuso proposes conditioning long-term residence on continuous employment or enrolment in vocational training, echoing Denmark’s ‘stay and work’ model. She also advocates a points-based system prioritising high-skill profiles, an idea business-lobby CEOE cautiously supports provided it does not impede intra-company transfers under EU rules. Migration NGOs warn the proposal conflates vulnerable asylum seekers with economically inactive EU nationals and could breach non-discrimination clauses. Still, polling by CIS shows 54 % of Spaniards favour tying benefits to labour-market participation, suggesting the issue will feature prominently in next spring’s regional elections. Global-mobility teams should track the debate: if a PP-led coalition gains influence at national level, Spain could see tighter renewal conditions for non-EU family members and possible changes to the ‘arraigo social’ scheme many companies use to regularise long-tenured foreign workers in sectors like logistics and hospitality.
Source: The Local Spain
