December 23, 2004 - Thursday - 7:47PM Central Time

Hola Senor Madrid!

I have a question. I've been to Madrid & Malaga three times last year. I'm a US Citizen now living in the midwest. I'm going to live in Spain with my wife in 2005 for a few years. Do we have the leisure/money? No. Just enough to sustain life for about 6 months but we are both qualify in technology, ESL, health care and Phisical Ed.

Please don't get me wrong...even though we are educated we are ready to be humble, as an illegal alien we work with & help here in the States, in trying to work hard labor jobs.

My question is....my great-grandparants were from the Canary Island and came to my birth country in 1989. They both were 100% Spaniard.

My grandfather (mother's side) was 100% Spaniard but married a non-spaniard.

My mother is 50% Spaniard but married a non-spaniard thus making me 25% Spaniard, right?

I read so where that since Puerto Rico was a former colony of Spain that we could have either a Spanish residency or nationality?

HOw hard would it be for me to find work, have a dual citizenship and be legal in Spain? This question has been bothering me since I first came across your site January 2001 but never took the time to register here.

Would love any input.

Thanks,

El Jigante

This is El_Jigante again :-)

For all those that post their input here...I'll promised to keep in contact throughout our journey in Spain for the two years (or maybe more)we will be there. Hey who knows....maybe we'll have the opportunity to host you in our future Piso (apartment). Don't worry Mr. MadridMan...I will never have the time to have a wonderful weblog like you have:-)

El Jigante
USA

I really don't know if having spanish blood will help you to get residence (it probably would help you to obtain nationality though). You should go to the nearest spanish consulate and ask for it

If you search in this website you will find lots of webs in which you can search for a job. It would be most convenient to have one before coming to Spain, cause that would automaticly qualify you for a residence.

Another wise idea is to get a job in a US company and be transfered to their spanish equivalent.

In any way: Good luck!

Fernando

The key is to have at least one parent or grandparent who is or was a Spanish citizen.

As Fernando says, contact the Spanish Consulate. They can give you more detailed information and get you started on paperwork.

Good luck!

Contacted the Spanish Consulate in New York. All the information the lady gave me over the phone was..."you can get a visa to reunite with family members in spain" :-(

Have search this site for other than consulate office but nothing. Thank you both for replying.

If I come up with information for other readers, pertaining to this post, I'll post.

I'm counting down the days before moving to Spain. Will continue to post update & questions for you all expert out there.

El Jigante

Just hop on a plane and go their thats what thousands of latin Americans have already done all you need a promise of work and the new socialist government wil let you in no questions asked.

Hola Qunitos,

Is it that simple? I'm not looking for a better life in Spain but only to spend enough time there while searching for my relatives. Although I must admit that we have to work part-time cleaning toilets or flipping burgers...I'm not after the spaniar's jobs.

Will appreciate if anyone can help me in the LEGAL process, step by step, to stay in Spain for up to 2 years while doing research. No red tape please we are honest-law abiding people.

El Jigante

I had some morcilla in Madrid in March. Since I technically now have "Spanish blood" in me, how would I go about applying for residency/legal worker status?

El Señor el_jigante wrote: These days, you´re more likely to take an illegal alien´s job doing this than a Spaniard´s but doubt you´ll work for less than them or work as hard either. Before you get "permission" to stay in Spain legally because of ancestry, in order to work as burger flippers or toilet cleaners you´d have to be offered a work visa and no one will do this when there´s a large population of illegals to do it for almost nothing and without work visa complications.

Believe it or not, even law-abiding people have to do "red tape" in order to assure they´re "law abiding". I don´t think they´ll simply take your word for it. Where there are "legal processes" there´s also A LOT of "red tape"! The "easy way" is always "ILLEGAL Way".

Best of luck to you! Saludos, adridMan

Thank you Senor Madrid!

I was waiting for your experty advice. Your posting made me realize that we are not going to compromise our sincerity & honesty. If one must lie, cheat the system and take away jobs from nationalist...then I'm not intrested. We will proceed with the maximum stay of 180 days in search of our family that originated from the Canary Island. So far our research have taken us back to the 17th Century all of our descendants were from San Miguel Abona, Tenerife, Canary Island.

There is no reason for us, born citizen of the US, to go overseas and live an uncomfortable & deceiving life. As I said before, we are only going for the 180 days and maybe later on buy property to retire near those distant cousins & uncles we will soon find.

Thank you for your posting and for the wonderful job you do here.

El Jigante in keeping biblical principals but "El Enano chiquito" when it comes to lying, cheating and stealing.:-)