Roe,
I'm just going to answer your question about applying for a work permit after Feb 02. I applied in March 2002 and just received all my papers. I did it through the multi-national I already worked for in New York and am a US citizen. So, it is not impossible.

MAD, could you give me any info on your case? What type of multi-nacional? Like what level employee you are? (if you don´t think that is too personal) And also do you know if your employer used lawyers at all or just turned in the paperwork? I just heard from so many different people that things were frozen, so I pretty much gave up hope. I´ll start looking into the process again.

Hey Diana, where are you from in Pennsylvania?

If you get married for residency be ready for headaches of the legal kind! Not to mention headaches from the morality police as we see here!

I been living & working in Madrid nearly 15 years. I travel as a tourist & return to N.Y. every 60 days. I buy caribbean arts & craft & sell it at the rastro. Never a problem if you applied yourself & keep a low profile.

Jakob,
You better quit before one of our lady member sends a hit man after you. I have not read all the posts, but Jakob, have you ever thought of getting a residents permit via a job? I'm sure Spain has some kind of permit that allows a foreigner to be a resident.

Chica,
As for the USA, keep in mind our home land has 230 million plus people and morals vary quite a bit from one ethnic group to another. Compared to the USA, Spain does not face the "melting pot" issues (in complexity) we have at home.

OK, so I apologize to anybody that was offended by my posts. You'll have to excuse me, I didn't know that going against illegal acts was so wrong.
And I am not really fond of the church and I don't believe marriage is something sacred that cannot be touch, but I don't think it is right to do something illegal in order to live in another country.
However, you have the right to do whatever you want and I shouldn't judge anybody for doing it, so good luck.

Nuria

Cubatex writes:
While I agree with what you say regarding the USA being a melting pot, I wholeheartedly disagree with your above statement Cubatex! Are you suggesting that one ethnic group is more moral than another? Goodness I hope not!

Morals are not a reflection of an ethnic group, but rather how a person is raised. While ethnicity, as it relates to a cultural factor, may have some influence on one´s moral position, there are many other factors in play, particularly in country like the USA where the ethnic lines in many areas are extremely blurred.

Chica,
Read my post again. Did I say one group was better than the other anywhere on my post? All I'm saying is that what may be moraly important for one group may not be as important to another. I'm not saying one group is more moral than another.

For example, I was raised in Cuba and the USA, and raised to respect other people's faith. In the country I live in now, Saudi Arabia, all religions but Islam are outlawed, and only Islam is recognized. Others are considered 'infidels' and that is the way the locals are raised (morals?). That does not make one group better than the other, just plain different. Morals, customs, way of life, whatever you want to call it, blend together and affect a person's or a group's morals.

ROE I work for a big global bank and am a middle / upper middle level manager. The bank did hire a lawyer for me and there was a lot (and still is a little) paperwork. Feel free to email me if you want some more details.