APPLICATIONS FOR WORK PERMITS BLOCK THE SYSTEM

GOVERNMENT departments in the Balearics have not fully processed any applications for work permits for foreigners since July this year, creating a backlog of disputed cases at courts in Palma. The “bottleneck” is affecting hundreds of immigrants who are trying to speed up the system by putting forward their individual claims for work permits to a legal hearing. Margarita Palo, head of the Foreigners' department at the official regional Lawyers' Institute confirmed that for months now, resources have been on hold. Government spokesman, Jordi Bayona, explained that the situation had arisen because workers in the foreigners' department have had to tackle 21'000 applications for legal residents' permits in the space of three months. As a result, paperwork governing work permits has had to be put to one side. According to Bayona, things will get back to normal within the next few days as the issues of legal residency for immigrants have now been dealt with. Palos said that the hold-up at the regional government offices has been having a direct impact on dispute courts which have had to handle hundreds of cases of people who want to work, some of whom may have been waiting since July to get a permit. Once the process of legal residency has been finalised, some 30'000 immigrants who have been working in Spain “without official papers”, will be able to join the country's labour market with the same rights as everyone else.