Highly Qualified Worker Visa
26 Octubre, 2023
The highly qualified worker visa is the work permit intended for highly skilled foreigners seeking employment in our country.
What is the highly qualified worker visa?
The visa for qualified professionals is a residence permit that allows citizens from outside the European Union to live and work legally in Spain, assuming they will be starting in a qualified or managerial position. But what exactly are the job profiles required to successfully apply for this residence permit?
- Managers and individuals who lead a relatively large team within a company.
- Workers engaged in highly technical and specialized positions.
- Non-European Union citizens who have completed their higher education at a prestigious university or business school.
This can be either an employment or professional relationship. This means that the company can offer an employment contract (in which the person joins the company as an employee) or there can exist a contractual relationship between the company and the professional, with the worker being a self-employed individual whose income from the company that requests the residence permit constitutes 75% of their earnings.
This residence permit, regulated by Article 71 of the Entrepreneurship Law in Spain, provides the individuals mentioned above with a residence authorization for two years (with possible renewals up to 5 years).
Moreover, there are additional benefits aside from being able to live and work legally with this visa. You can also move freely within the Schengen Area and bring your family to Spain with you.
Things you should know before applying for this Highly Qualified Worker Visa in Spain.
The most important aspect to consider with this type of authorization is not only the worker's higher education but also their experience related to that higher education:
- The minimum salary stated in your job offer must be above €40,077 per year. However, for directors or managers, it must be at least €54,142 per year.
- Some professions that are regulated, e.g., lawyers, clinical psychologists, architects, engineers who sign projects, among others, must be previously validated in Spain. This process takes some time (more than a year), so it's important to do this before applying for any job as a highly qualified worker. Some medical specialties take more than 3 years to be recognized as valid in Spain.
- When you apply for the residence permit of a highly qualified worker, you can also apply for the residence permit for your family members.
- You can apply for a Highly Qualified Worker Visa within 3 months of your arrival in Spain or at the Spanish Consulate in your home country or country of residence.
Main requirements for a successful application for this permit.
As in most situations, providing the required documentation is not enough to obtain the permits. There are certain non-negotiable requirements you must also fulfill:
- You must be over 18 years of age.
- This work permit is for non-European Union citizens, as EU citizens do not need to apply for a residence permit.
- You must provide evidence of a clean criminal record in both Spain and any other country.
- You are required to have comprehensive health coverage in Spain, whether through public or private health insurance.
- You cannot reside in Spain in an irregular situation.
How to apply for this permit?
Now that you know what documentation to submit and the requirements to meet if you want to obtain a highly qualified worker permit, let's look at the application process.
First and foremost, you must have a job offer from a company in Spain. Once a company in the country intends to hire you, you can begin the application process.
Next, you must obtain a residence visa (a regular residence permit). There are primarily two options/situations:
- You can apply while residing in Spain, provided you have a legal status in the country.
- Alternatively, you can complete the process while abroad (in your home country, for example). In this case, the application must be submitted to the Spanish consulate in your region. The processing of the application can take up to 10 days.
Following this, you must submit your application form. Once approved, you will be granted residence for one year. What happens next? How can you continue working and living in Spain legally?
After this period ends, you can apply for a residence permit, which takes approximately 20 days to process and grants you residence for two years. You can find the application form here.
Then, you can renew this authorization as long as you continue to meet the aforementioned conditions, for up to 5 years.
Where to apply and submit the necessary documents?
The Unit of Large Companies and Strategic Collectives will be responsible for validating that you indeed have a highly qualified job position. This unit is part of the General Directorate of Immigration.
Therefore, you will need to send them your resume and job description. If you meet the specific requirements, you will receive what is called a "residence permit for highly qualified professionals."
This document is what you will need to send to the Immigration Office to finally obtain your residence in Spain.
