Royal Decree 855/2026, approving Spain’s first comprehensive Statute of University Students, took legal effect on 23 October after its publication in the BOE the previous day. Although framed as an academic reform, several provisions directly influence global mobility by codifying residence, work-placement and welfare guarantees for the country’s 300,000-plus foreign students. Key points include: (1) explicit recognition of foreign students’ right to paid curricular internships under the same conditions as Spanish nationals; (2) a new obligation on universities to provide visa-support documentation within 15 days of enrolment, ending the ad-hoc letter system that often delayed residence-permit renewals; (3) a mandate for each public university to appoint an International Mobility Ombudsperson empowered to liaise with police extranjería units on behalf of students; and (4) a commitment to publish transparent housing inventories—critical in overheated rental markets such as Madrid and Barcelona. The decree dovetails with 2024’s overhaul of Spain’s immigration regulation (RD 1155/2024), which introduced an online post-study work-search permit. Together, the measures aim to make Spain more competitive against Germany, France and the Netherlands in attracting talent in STEM and digital disciplines. Universities must adapt quickly: the statute gives them six months to set up one-stop mobility desks and to digitise enrolment certificates compatible with the police Mercurio platform. Legal advisers urge institutions to audit current processes so that non-EU students can renew tarjetas de estancia without interruption—a lapse that now triggers automatic expirations under the Schengen Entry/Exit System. For multinational employers, the statute expands the pipeline of students who can legally undertake paid placements up to 30 hours per week, a boon for sectors such as aerospace in Andalusia or fintech in Valencia. HR teams should, however, update internship agreements to reference the new rules and ensure salary offers meet the statutory minimums laid out in the corresponding collective-bargaining agreements.
Source: Boletín Oficial del Estado
