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ALLOCATION OF WORK PERMITS DOWN
Kevin Reardon / 2010-02-01 08:12:03
The Ministry of Immigration in Alicante issued only 158 new green cards for non EU arrivals in the province in the third quarter of 2009. The reduction was blamed on the economic crisis which has seen the figure stagnate for the first time after a year and a half of uninterrupted growth.
According to the Ministry of Immigration, during the third quarter of 2009 they authorised just 158 applications, bringing the total to 112,270. However, figure usually achieved in any 3 month period would expect to be in the region of 2,000 authorised applications.
This minimal increase in the number of non EU foreigners legally resident is also the lowest recorded in Spain, and significant in the context of the Community. Increases recorded in Valencia and Castellon during the same period were of 2,295 and 617 authorised applications respectively.
However, Alicante is by no means an exceptional case, since there are also many other provinces with much larger populations that have even recorded declines. One example is that of Barcelona, which actually shows a reduction of 2048 immigrants from the figures recorded last June. Other regions showing a reduction include Seville, Lugo, Cuenca and Teruel.
The duration of the economic crisis and the increased vulnerability of foreign citizens has been a determining factor in the number of regular migrants admitted to the province. Since 1998 the figures have shown a steady increase, year on year. However, the crisis has now shown that the Ministry of Labour could be beginning to reverse the process.
Tags: Immigration. Employment
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