Hello all.. I got my work permit from a company in Madrid after waiting for six months. I turned in all the documents to the consulate of Spain more than two months ago..would the visa take another six months to receive? Please help. Is there anything I can do to expedite the process?

Hi there Ziba. Well i was wondering..I have the same plans you do..i really would like to move to madrid to study, which actually im already working on but the thing is, i would also like to get a work permit, but i have heard that is so difficult if your not local or eu member, so i´m asking you, what have you done to accomplish with the consulate..what kind of papers dfid they need? could you please help out on this one?

I really appreciate it!

Cheers..
Mikas

When you say "I got my work permit", does this mean you received a letter from the Ministro de Labor indicating that your right to work in Spain had been granted, or that the company has agreed to get you your work permit?

What happens is the paper work is turned in and it all goes to Madrid where a decision is made. Then, you and your employer get letters stating either that you have been accepted or declined. Then I believe what is left to do is that you go and pick up an entrance visa from the embassy or consulate, which gives you the right to be in the country for three months with the express purpose of work, while your residency permit card is being made. When you arrive to where you will be living you take your visa and any other paperwork to the Comisaria where they will make you a NIE (numero de identificacion extranjero essentially an ID card, good for the duration stipulated by your work visa (usually one year, renewable as long as you continue to be employed)) Speeding up the process? Highly unlikely.

When I did mine I was told that a response would take up to 4 months and in the end it took two, so just be prepared to wait!

Hi!

1. There are many people with the same problem in this forum. If you take a look at some previous posts you'll notice that the Ministry is now involved in a huge process of standardization of foreign workers, which means that thousands are asking for a work permit.

The offices are overwhelmed with applications so I'd say that it's going to be like that, at least, for a couple of months .

2. Yes, it's a bit difficult for non EU citizens to get a work permit but I think it's the same case in the US, Canada, Australia, etc, isn't it?

The EU makes a difference between skilled and non-skilled workers, refugees, stateless people, etc.
They give work permits depending on the points you get, for instance, higher education.

We also have special treaties with some countries which do not require work permits, nor visas, such as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein.

French-Canadians have a special status too through some kind of treaty with France, but I'm not sure about it. The same applies for the posssessions of the UK (eg. the Falklands, Caribbean Archipielagos) and France (eg. Île de la Rèunion, Guyanne, etc).

US citizens do not usually have problems getting a work permit, I've known lots of them here. The thing is that it might take time.
In fact, the other day I heard that the American community (permanent) in Spain is of about 100.000 and those having dual nationality or military personnel are not included.

Why are you trying to figure this out from second hand information?

If you are serious about working/living in Spain consult a Spanish immagration lawyer. It will be money well spent and you will know exactly where you stand. They charge considerably less than U.S. lawyers who bill by the nanosecond.