More than four hours queuing in the street for the papers to regularize his status: "I'll be here until it's necessary"

BarcelonaAlthough the office doesn't open until nine in the morning, three hours earlier there was already a long line of people waiting. "I've been waiting for four hours, but I'll stay as long as necessary," Asad explains. He's queuing outside the Pakistani consulate in Barcelona, ​​on Sarrià Avenue, to get a single document: the authorization he needs to send to his mother, who still lives in Pakistan, so that she can send him the certificate proving his status.Asad has no criminal record. This is one of the requirements for eligibility. to the regularization of half a million undocumented immigrants agreed by the Spanish government just two days agoOf the half a million, it is estimated that more than 150,000 reside in Catalonia.

Like Asad, who has been in Catalonia for a year and a half, hundreds of people—mostly men—wait patiently, occupying the entire sidewalk. The line, in fact, wraps around the corner and continues to grow by mid-morning. "There are two lines, one for the criminal record certificate and the other for other procedures, but people just don't listen," complains Umar, who has come to renew his passport. Being one of the few in the area who speaks fluent Spanish and Catalan, he tries to help the others. Every now and then, the calm of the line turns into a commotion when a worker comes out of the consulate office to hand out numbers for those waiting in line. Asir and Ahmed have been queuing since 7:30 in the morning, and by 10:00 they finally got a place in line: number 192. "I need the letter to send to my mother, so she can get a certificate and send it to me," explains Ahmed in English. It's the fastest way. He details that he has been in Barcelona for a year, but his three-year-old daughter and wife are still in Pakistan. "If I get their papers in order, it will be easier to suggest they come," he argues.

The Moroccan consulate in Barcelona, ​​located in the Sant Martí district, has also noticed a considerable increase in people coming to carry out procedures since Tuesday, the day the Spanish government approved the processing of the regularization process. "Since then, we have filled almost all of the appointments, about 400 a day," says a consulate employee. In fact, he admits that it was fortunate they implemented the appointment system three years ago, because before, the queues could stretch around an entire island. There were even people who slept on the street so they could be the first ones into the consulate.

"I don't know when they'll fire me"

However, since Tuesday, requests for appointments have grown exponentially, especially for procedures related to regularization. This means there are no queues, but there is a constant flow of people. Among them is Ayman, 21, who has come to the consulate to request the certificate proving he has no criminal record in his country of origin. He came to Spain alone two years ago and is studying Spanish. He has lived in Andalusia, Madrid, and Barcelona. "I have to do this because I don't know when they're going to deport me," he says worriedly. But he didn't make an appointment and they won't let him in.

The criminal record certificate is one of the documents required to process regularization and the reason for the increase in appointments. According to consulate sources, it can be obtained in two ways, but it always requires going through Moroccan diplomacy: you can request the certificate directly from the Moroccan consulate that requires it, although this process usually takes more than a month. There is a faster way: ask a relative in Morocco to request it there and then send it. However, to do this, a certificate granting them this power of attorney is necessary, and this can also be obtained from the consulate. This is precisely what Omar, 37, has come to find. He has been here for three years and works as a bricklayer, although he is undocumented. He is also learning Spanish.

It is common to find a business taking passport photos right next to the National Police or Civil Guard stations in Catalonia. And the same is true of the Moroccan consulate. The building, located on a block in Poblenou, is surrounded by internet cafes that offer many other services. They take passport photos, but also translate documents and handle many other procedures. It's a business of doing the paperwork for you: if you pay, they'll schedule the appointment and even process residency permits. There are more than five of them near the consulate. Two of them admit that they've also noticed an increase in customers since Tuesday.