The change in law that will allow foreign students to work: "I survived with a 400-euro scholarship"

• Education The Government approves the Subirats Law that prioritizes hiring women and scholarships for foreigners and encourages classes in Catalan

• Immigration The Government approves the reform that will facilitate the papers to unaccompanied foreign minors

Laura Rosero

, a 25-year-old Colombian immigrant, moved to

three years ago to pursue a

.

The young woman had studied

in her country and, given that her intention was to work in the production of films and shorts, she thought that moving to

would be a shortcut to access the labor market and obtain a better "quality of life".

Nothing could be further from the truth, because when she settled in the capital, although she was comfortable and saw how, thanks to her academic effort, she had managed to move to

, she soon realized that she could not support herself.

"The student visa did not allow me to work with opportunities beyond an internship contract, so I survived with a 400-euro scholarship," he explains.

The young woman describes that year of her master's degree as a "difficult" time and she admits that, with that budget, she "did not have enough to live on."

«I remember that my colleagues said to go out for a few drinks and I only had 40 euros left over a month to spend on leisure, an amount that anyone knows that in one night it goes right away».

So, most of the time, Laura refused the invitations of her friends and stayed in her apartment in

.

This difficulty for immigrant students to work on Spanish soil will disappear as of next Tuesday with the entry into force of a reform in the Immigration Law.

The modification of the regulation will allow the more than 50,000 foreign students residing in Spain to combine study with work as long as it does not exceed 30 hours per week and is compatible with training, which will make it easier for them to meet their own expenses without outside help.

Currently 50,000 foreign students reside in Spain

Among its novelties, the law includes renewals in the roots, which are the ways to obtain a temporary residence permit in Spain.

The changes in employment roots, in social roots and in roots by training will have the intention of putting an end to the "lack of protection of many people who have been living in Spain for a long time and who continue to be in a situation of employment vulnerability," he said a few days ago. days the Minister of Inclusion, José Luis Escrivá, when he was asked about the reform.

Foreigners who are in an irregular situation and can prove their continued stay in Spain for a minimum of two years may obtain a temporary residence permit for employment reasons, provided they have no criminal record in Spain and in their country of origin or in the country of origin. country or countries in which you have resided during the last five years.

They must also show that they have worked at least 30 hours a week for six months or 15 hours a week for 12 months.

Work market

The decree has raised doubts about the pull effect that its implementation may generate, a theory that the Minister of Inclusion, José Luis Escrivá, has denied could occur, as he stated in a recent interview in

.

“There are numerous studies over time that have shown that legal changes in regular and irregular migration processes do not seem to be a determining focus” in encouraging people to emigrate, he said.

And, regarding the regularization of the

, he considered as "erroneous" the thesis that this decree will suppose the "substitution of national workers" by foreigners since he pointed out, what there are are "deficits in the labor market that hamper the overall growth of the economy.

In the case of Spain, immigration represents a fundamental part of the population.

The census data for the last year reflect that the arrival of foreigners maintains population growth.

In 2021, the number of foreigners increased by 49,612 people to a total of 5,417,883 as of January 1, 2022. The increase was largely due to a positive migratory balance of 153,094 people.

The population of Spanish nationality was reduced by 15,502 people.

"It would have helped me to prosper," says Laura about the new reform, which would have allowed her to study and work at the same time.

"It would have been a great help to me."

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