Welcome to Extranjería Legal, a weekly newsletter bringing you the latest legislative updates and news on Immigration Law, the European Union, and International Protection.
Legislative Updates, International Agreements, and Other Provisions
- Resolution of February 12, 2025, from the Secretaría de Estado de Migraciones (‘Secretary of State for Migrations’), which publishes the Council of Ministers’ Agreement of February 11, 2025, approving the instructions that establish the procedure for extending and renewing long-term stay, residence and/or work authorizations for those foreign nationals who had their domicile or workplace in one of the municipalities affected by the DANA between October 28 and November 4, 2024, and which sets out the procedure to request an authorization for unforeseen exceptional circumstances. Link: BOE.
- Information relating to the entry into force of the Agreement between the European Union and Montenegro on operational activities carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in Montenegro. Link: DOUE.
- Notification announcement of February 10, 2025, in international protection procedures by the Subdirección General de Relaciones Institucionales e Información de Protección Internacional (‘Subdirectorate-General for Institutional Relations and International Protection Information‘). Link: BOE.
- Resolution of January 17, 2025, from the Dirección General del Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (‘Directorate-General of the State Public Employment Service‘), which publishes the Catalogue of Occupations with Difficult Coverage for the first quarter of 2025. Link: BOE.
- Interpretative guidelines on the application of Articles 4 and 6 of Regulation (EU) 2022/1280 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down specific and temporary measures, in view of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, concerning driver documents issued by Ukraine in accordance with its legislation, following the extension of the period of temporary protection of persons displaced from Ukraine beyond 6 March 2025. Link: DOUE.
News of Interest
- Council of Ministers. A summary of the main agreements reached by the Council of Ministers that took place on February 18. Link: Council of Ministers.
- Frontex – Irregular border crossings. The number of irregular crossings at the EU borders decreased by 22% in January 2025, with just over 13,400 detections compared to the same period last year. Regarding the breakdown by routes: the Central Mediterranean route experienced a 43% increase compared to last year; the West African route accounted for almost one-third of irregular arrivals (4,740), with migrants mainly from Mali, Morocco, and Guinea; the Western Balkans route recorded the largest drop at –66% compared to January 2024; and in the Eastern Mediterranean, arrivals decreased by 21%, with nearly 3,500 detected migrants. Link: Frontex.
- Ministry of the Interior – Irregular Immigration Report. The Ministerio de Interior (‘Ministry of the Interior’) has published the accumulated data on irregular immigration up to February 15, 2025. According to the Ministry, 8,107 arrivals by sea and land have been recorded, representing a 38.5% reduction compared to the same period in 2024. Link: Ministry of the Interior.
- Spanish Ambassadors Abroad. The Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (‘Spain´s Ministry of Foreign Affairs / State Department’) has updated the list of Spanish ambassadors on overseas missions with the latest appointments and dismissals. Link: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Affiliation of Foreign Workers in January. The Seguridad Social (‘Spain´s Social Security‘) recorded 2,956,007 foreign affiliates, marking a new seasonally adjusted historical high. Over the past year, foreign employment grew by 8%, representing 13.8% of the total employed. Since the 2022 labor reform, 573,223 foreign workers have been added, accounting for 45.1% of the jobs created in these three years. Permanent contracts have improved significantly, reaching 88.7%. Morocco remains the main country of origin for foreign contributors. Link: Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations.
Training
With the entry into force of the new Reglamento de Extranjería (‘new Immigration Regulation‘) on May 20, numerous training sessions are being held to address its changes and implementation. In this section, we will compile those that may be of interest to the community.
- Regulation of Settlement and Residence Authorization for Family Members of European Union Citizens. The Consejo General de la Abogacía Española (‘General Council of Spanish Lawyers’) will hold a conference on settlement and residence for family members of European Union citizens, delivered by Ainara Dorremochea Fernández, Deputy Director-General for Legal Regime, of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations. Date: March 10, 2025. Link: General Council of Spanish Lawyers
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