Criticism for delays and lack of resources at Immigration Office in Ibiza

Criticism for delays and lack of resources at the Immigration Office in Ibiza

Josep Àngel Costa

Wednesday, December 08 2021, 10.06am

The first Immigration Day organised by the Consell de Ibiza closed with harsh criticism of the island’s Directorate of State Administration and the Government Delegation for the “lack of information” faced by the users of the Immigration Office. The secretary of the Latin Americans Association of Ibiza and Formentera, Alejandra Gámez, criticised that the service suffers from a “lack of personnel and resources” and causes pressing delays which, according to some of the testimonies of those present, can last up to a year for some residency application procedures.

Criticism for delays and lack of resources at Immigration Office in Ibiza
The Commissioner of Eivissa, Manuel Hernández, during his intervention in the ‘Jornada de Extranjería’ held at the Consell. | J.A.RIERA
“The foreigner is here to contribute, not to be disparaged, and to achieve a much better and more inclusive Spain”, stressed Gámez in her speech, which concluded the session held yesterday afternoon at the Consell. Under the title ‘The importance of inclusion’, the talk by the representative of the Latin Americans Association focused on exposing the shortcomings of the Immigration Office, where “the platforms to request appointments are collapsing”. Another of the participants, Libia Rocío Poveda, a lawyer and expert in bureaucratic procedures for foreigners, warned that in some cases the application for legal residence takes up to a year to receive a response from the Administration. In her speech, Poveda advised some ways for those foreigners who, once they have been in Spain for three years, can complete their requests for exceptional residence. “After three years it is an acquired right [to apply for residency], it does not mean that the State is obligated to grant it”, she warned.

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To guarantee this right, in addition to keeping the boarding passes from arrival in the country, this advisor recommended “becoming a collaborator of Caritas or the Red Cross”, since these entities can testify to the applicant’s stay. Poveda also warned of the problems that some people encounter in the procedures because they have not updated their registration. “You need to find a way to register in the place where you are living,” she said. In this sense, during question time, the president of the Ecuadorians Association, Horacio Balda, presented the case of a caregiver who lives in the home of the elderly person she cares for. For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.