Mayor Manuela Carmena will discuss a proposal to grant undocumented migrants the right to work on construction projects with Spanish Employment Minister Fátima Báñez later today, the El Pais newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The policy is designed to tackle shortages of manual in Spain, while also giving migrants with “irregular” immigration statuses the option to legally work and make a living in the country, as opposed to relying on the state for financial support.
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She described the fact that there are migrants who want to work but are unable to do so due to their immigration status, particularly their inability to obtain residency permits, as a “contradiction” and said there are already courses available to quickly provide migrants with the required skills for construction work.
“They want to work legally and we hope logic will help us. We have designed courses for builders and qualified workers,” she added.
It’s unclear if the Ministry of Employment, which ultimately has the power to authorize and implement such an idea, will back Mayor Carmena’s proposal.
Although Spain wasn't a prime target for migrants, tens of thousands of migrants, arriving in waves, entered and remained in the country since 2015. They crossed the Mediterranean Sea in rafts and boats with smugglers from Libya and other hotspots.
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Many of these migrants are yet to be permanently settled in Spain and therefore, haven't received residency permits which allow them to legally engage in work.
Settling immigration status disputes and granting residency permits can drag on for months and even years, and with Spain facing a shortage of workers in certain industries, it's not surprising that the mayor of Madrid considers them to be a potential solution, at least in the short-term.