Municipalities receive instructions on how to complete migrant integration reports.

BarcelonaOne day after the new immigration regulations approved by the Spanish government came into force, the Department of Social Rights has sent city councils instructions on the two new reports that municipal technicians must prepare so that migrants can begin the regularization process. The Spanish government's text contemplates new ways to request regularization and reduces bureaucracy in the process, although it also leaves Legal loopholes for asylum seekers whose applications are rejected.

The instruction is the document in which the Generalitat (Catalan government) provides details on how to interpret the regulation so that all Catalan councils follow the same criteria. To date, however, the instruction has not been sent to the town councils nor has it been posted on EACAT, the communication platform between institutions, so the officials in charge of preparing the reports that examine the roots and housing conditions of migrants who want to apply for or renew a residence permit found that on the first day they did not find that the first day. The situation has now been remedied.

With the entry into force of the new immigration regulations, the number of reports that town councils prepare for the processes of regularization and family reunificationFrom now on, municipal technicians will have to prepare a report on the integration effort, which will analyze, among other aspects, the level of Catalan and knowledge of the country's customs and laws.

The other instruction refers to the characteristics of the dwelling where the applicant or their family, in the event of a claim, could bring their partner and children. Until now, technicians conducted visits to the apartments to examine whether they meet a minimum surface area or the state of repair if they do not have a certificate of occupancy.

Commission with local authorities

The regional ministry has confirmed that the instructions were shared last Friday at the plenary session of the Joint Joint Committee between the Generalitat and local authorities on foreign immigration, statelessness, international protection, and return. The committee includes the Federation of Municipalities of Catalonia (FMC), the Catalan Association of Municipalities (ACM), Barcelona City Council, and three local council representatives. These representatives are responsible for submitting the proposal to the Generalitat, which must also send the resolution to the Spanish government's subdelegations, which are responsible for authorizing residencies and permit renewals. A number of civil servants chose to remain in their primary positions. This would have helped reduce the number of staff responsible for delivering the new instructions. This has led to delays in resolving administrative cases, which prevents them from regularizing their administrative status.