Legal context of Spain

Reception in Spain

In theory, people who ask for international protection in Spain have the right to join a care programme once their application has been accepted for processing. However, this is often assigned late and runs out long before the completion of the application process, which can drag on for three years.

For the first arrival, the Spanish government has outsourced reception management to larger NGOs working in the field of asylum, which provide asylum seekers with a place to live and upkeep for six months, and a maximum of nine in the most vulnerable cases. However, as the process of requesting asylum is often much longer, and the NGOs often do not have enough capacity, many people are left to fend for themselves and depend on support of other NGOs or family, if any.

At the same time, more than 60% of the requests for asylum are denied (2020), leaving people unsupported and often on the street, or dependent on small, local NGOs. Moreover, these small NGOs are often also overloaded with support requests, and can often only support people with very basic needs (so no upskilling training etc.).

In these NGOs, people have access to:

• Accommodation and temporary maintenance.

• Information and advice on new situation.

• Guidance for their incorporation into the educational, health and social system.

• Psychological attention.

• Specialized social care and management of complementary financial aid.

• Development of courses for learning the language and basic social skills.

• Guidance and intermediation for professional training and job placement.

• Occupational and leisure activities and free time.

• Awareness-raising and dissemination activities of the CAR's actions aimed at the host society.

After a year we have learned Spanish, I have done a masseur course and my sister in hairdressing, but to this day we are still without work, which is the biggest obstacle when you have to start a new life without the protection of the reception center . I have a work permit, yes, because they grant it to you six months after applying for international protection. But there is no work. If a qualified Spanish, with perfect Castilian and with contacts does not have, how am I going to find? It is very difficult. I'm looking in stores, in restaurants ... I don't care about the type of work, if it's hard, if it's easy ... I can work whatever it is, but there is nothing.

Migrant who left the reception center

And if denied....

A denial of the asylum application means that the Spanish state does not recognise the person’s need to receive international protection. Denial of asylum involves notification of a compulsory order to leave Spanish territory within 15 days, deportation, or transfer to another country responsible for examining the application under the Dublin Convention.