# Reunion Visa For US Citizen Spouse



## mariodfa (Mar 23, 2010)

_I have been offered a job transfer to Madrid, we currently live in the US. I'm currently in the process of obtaining my work permit for Spain and I will also need to apply for a residence visa. The expected move date is sometime in July/august.

We need to get information regarding the type of visa and paperwork necessary for my wife and her daughter (she lives with us) will be necessary to apply for, could we all apply at the same time, or would they fall under my visa status? I understand that a reunion visa exists but i am not sure when or where they would need to apply for it and what are the conditions with such visa?

We also would like to know if my wife will be able to work while in spain and daughter to attend university, she is 18.

Thanks a lot_,


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mariodfa said:


> _I have been offered a job transfer to Madrid, we currently live in the US. I'm currently in the process of obtaining my work permit for Spain and I will also need to apply for a residence visa. The expected move date is sometime in July/august._
> 
> _We need to get information regarding the type of visa and paperwork necessary for my wife and her daughter (she lives with us) will be necessary to apply for, could we all apply at the same time, or would they fall under my visa status? I understand that a reunion visa exists but i am not sure when or where they would need to apply for it and what are the conditions with such visa?_
> 
> ...


Tricky, and I'm not sure anybody will have the right info. What nationalities are you all?? You may be better posting on the US or, failing Bolivia, Mexican site, but you're going to need professional help sooner or later. How about getting in touch with the Spanish Consulate?


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I'm no expert on Spain, but the European countries generally have roughly comparable visas. Normally, visas for your wife and possibly her daughter should be included with your visa (as dependents). The employer should include the family members in the visa application.

Normally, too, neither dependent will be able to work - though that is changing in some countries. The daughter will probably be able to attend university, but as a "foreign student" which means she'll be expected to pay full fees.

For more information, you should check the website of your nearest Spanish consulate. This is the New York region consulate The Consulate - there should be links to the other consulates in the US from there.
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## mariodfa (Mar 23, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Tricky, and I'm not sure anybody will have the right info. What nationalities are you all?? You may be better posting on the US or, failing Bolivia, Mexican site, but you're going to need professional help sooner or later. How about getting in touch with the Spanish Consulate?



_Pesky;

I'm a US resident from Bolivia, my wife and daughter are both US citizens. I have sponsorship through my employer and so on, so my paperwork is already in progress. The questions I have are regarding the process that my wife and daughter will need to go through in order to accompany me to Spain._


----------



## mariodfa (Mar 23, 2010)

Bevdeforges said:


> I'm no expert on Spain, but the European countries generally have roughly comparable visas. Normally, visas for your wife and possibly her daughter should be included with your visa (as dependents). The employer should include the family members in the visa application.
> 
> Normally, too, neither dependent will be able to work - though that is changing in some countries. The daughter will probably be able to attend university, but as a "foreign student" which means she'll be expected to pay full fees.
> 
> ...


_Thanks a lot Bev;

Obviously employment for my wife (websites differ on this, some say that she will be able to work, other say that she won't), and university expenses are one of our concerns. My visa will be a resident visa, I am not sure if included they will also have same residency conditions in Spain as myself.
We currently live in the Houston area, however everytime we call the local Spanish consulate, they are not very willing to take time to hear us out and explain the situation, so we haven't got much information by calling them. I'm then looking for help from people such as yourself who might have gone throught a similar situation or have further knowledge to go about this transition and making it as painless as possible.

Saludos,_


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

The consulates normally aren't that open to taking phone calls for information that is already posted on their website. That's really the first place to look.

But your employer should be the one to initiate the visa process for your wife and her daughter. If they don't go with you as dependents, chances are your wife would have to find employment before she could apply for her own visa, and her daughter would have to apply to a Spanish university as a foreign student in order to secure her own visa. That's one way to approach the problem, but it's probably the most difficult way.
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## mariodfa (Mar 23, 2010)

Bevdeforges said:


> The consulates normally aren't that open to taking phone calls for information that is already posted on their website. That's really the first place to look.
> 
> But your employer should be the one to initiate the visa process for your wife and her daughter. If they don't go with you as dependents, chances are your wife would have to find employment before she could apply for her own visa, and her daughter would have to apply to a Spanish university as a foreign student in order to secure her own visa. That's one way to approach the problem, but it's probably the most difficult way.
> Cheers,
> Bev


_Thanks... my employer will definitively go through the process and give all necessary documentation for the visa application, I understand this is something I have to do personally, it seems that the best to go is to include them as dependants on my application. Just in case I ask; any other "less difficult" approach that you might know of?_


----------



## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

mariodfa said:


> Thanks... my employer will definitively go through the process and give all necessary documentation for the visa application, I understand this is something I have to do personally, it seems that the best to go is to include them as dependants on my application. Just in case I ask; any other "less difficult" approach that you might know of?


No, dependant visa is the one to go for. If your own visa is going through at the moment, wait until it's granted and then apply for your wife and her daughter's visa as your dependants. Some of the conditions to meet include your eligibility to live and work in Spain (which you should have by the time you apply), suitable family accommodation, financial viability (i.e. your ability to support them), health insurance (until you become eligible for Spanish state health scheme). It shouldn't be too difficult. If the worst comes to the worst, you may have to travel to Spain first and they join you once their visa is granted.


----------



## jockm (Jun 23, 2009)

*A perspective on your situation*

My husband and I are currently going through this process, although I am Australian and he is Argentinean. It is all pretty painful. We have found it difficult to get clear information but have scoured the Spanish law to try and understand the process. Apparently there is almost always an "articulo" that pertains to your situation. This link has quite a bit of info about working in Spain como extranjero Ministerio de Trabajo e Inmigracin: Guía Laboral. 

The consulate here is not terribly helpful. We have also used a Spanish law firm that advertises online - you can call and speak either english or spanish and they have been very helpful in answering our queries. We have called twice and it has really helped to diffuse some of the stress. 

This is how I understand the process:

Company (your sponsor) applies for the work permit in Spain (for you) (we've been told this is a three month process - we'll see...)
They send you the stamped official work permit
You, your wife and her child apply for the visa in your country of residence, you for the work and residence visa, her and child for the residence visa only (she can't apply for a work visa unless she also has an offer of work)
Visa is approved (hopefully) and you all choof off happily to Spain together within 3 months of getting the approved visa in your country.

One unexplained bummer with what we have been told (in the consulate's published documentation) is that the consulate here will take 2 weeks to process my husband's visa, and up to 3 months for ours. What we are doing is making sure we have everything ready to go here so that when we receive the work permit we can submit our application to the consulate immediately (things like the police clearance, documents apostilled, etc, for example).

As far as working goes, this was a serious issue for me. I really needed to understand what would be my situation. It was very hard to find clear info on the web. What I have been told that I (as an Australian) cannot work for the first year. This I have confirmed by reading through the articulos. 

When I go to renew my 1 year residence visa (which is the initial period of time you receive the visa for) I can then also apply for a residence and work visa, but I will need a job offer. You do not, however, at that time have to prove that there is noone in Spain or the EU that can do the job. You are exempt from that because you have had the one year legal residence beforehand. So bottom line is 1 year without working (I was grieving over this . Oh well, gym? Guitar / cooking lessons? Make my short film? Finish working on the family tree? Oh dear, what will I do.... 

I understand that each province has its own twists on this but the link above spells it out more or less clearly.

If you apply for regrupacion familiar (when you are in Spain and you apply for your family to join you), you have to have been there a year I believe and it sounds a long winded and unnecessary way to go if you can all apply at the same time and go together. There is no way we would even consider the opportunity if I had to wait at least a year to join my hubby in Spain 

Note too that my child is not the child of my husbands. Although it has not been requested, we are getting a notarised letter signed by my daughter's father to say he supports her going to Spain with me - we thought this could potentially be another thing that slows down the process if there is any confusion about custody - although if her child is over 18 perhaps it is not an issue...?

I hope you find this helpful, it has been a massive learning curve for us and if the stress can be reduced, that is great! Keep in mind this is how we now understand the situation, based on all our research - but I would not be surprised to find out at some point we have something not quite right - so it is best to seek professional advice if you can to make sure the advice you receive is right for your personal circumstances. Perhaps your consulate will also be a bit more receptive to questions (rather than giving disinterested one-liners and a strong vibe of "I wish you would go away and stop bothering me with your questions"!).


----------



## jockm (Jun 23, 2009)

*Another thing*

Sorry, just read that you have found your consulate equally unhelpful. While they post (a little) info there are always shades of grey (e.g. in my situation the question of the notarised letter regarding custody) which would be nice to be able to consult the consulate on. As an Argentinean (although resident here) they told my husband he "might have to lodge his application in Argentina" - and said he should send through a fax with his Oz visa so they could tell whether that would be the case. We've never heard back, no response at all - this is the sort of thing that gets me going - if he did have to go to Argentina (and us apply here??? any sense in that???) it would be a major issue, expense and everything else, but they are completely disinterested in giving us the info. It was the Spanish lawyers who told us no, it can be lodged where you are legally resident. 

It seems they prefer you to plough through the myriad places on the web, etc to bring together whatever you can - and if you have made a mistake you will find out when you application is held up. I personally would rather be prepared for that and have everything run smoothly.

There doesn't seem to be any concept at all of "customer service"... If they are unable to help us I'm not really sure what or who they are there for.

And if we didn't speak Spanish I would give us about 0% of being able to get it all together sufficiently to nut out the process ourselves!

Just a wee grumble (no doubt this will prepare me for bureaucracy, Spanish style).

Just as a comparison, my husband a while back had to call australian immigration here in Oz about an issue. The woman on the phone was very rude to him, told him she couldn't understand him and that he should use an interpreter (he works in a university and his english is fine, athough accented - which surely they are used to...? and she had an accent too!). I called the immigration complaints line, they listened to my story and WROTE me a response and apology!!! Now I was very impressed with that!


----------



## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

jockm said:


> Note too that my child is not the child of my husbands. Although it has not been requested, we are getting a notarised letter signed by my daughter's father to say he supports her going to Spain with me - we thought this could potentially be another thing that slows down the process if there is any confusion about custody - although if her child is over 18 perhaps it is not an issue...?
> .


Didn't they ask for this? IIRC under current EU rules any minor child can't cross borders without either both parents or something like this letter. Plus the child needs their own passport.

What is the age of adulthood in Spain? 18?


----------



## jockm (Jun 23, 2009)

NickZ said:


> Didn't they ask for this? IIRC under current EU rules any minor child can't cross borders without either both parents or something like this letter. Plus the child needs their own passport.
> 
> What is the age of adulthood in Spain? 18?


In Australia both parents' permission is required to get a passport. If you then wish that your child cannot be taken out of Australia, you can put an order on them - the airport will recognise from their electronic passports when they leave that there is a restriction on them. But I have travelled many times to / through Europe and Asia and the US from Oz with my children without their father with no problems (no questions asked). In Oz children have to have their own passport, even babies.


----------



## Rolling Stone (Mar 29, 2010)

Same situation and I learned from experience last year and while renewing this year. I came here through Houston also and I am very familiar with Blanca in the consulate there in the Galleria area. 

- Apply all together with your step daughter as a dependant. As a student under 25 you are allowed

- Your wife can work legally on a resident permit once you get your work permit. As of the new law passed in Decenber one other family member of a sponsored work permit holder (you) can work. In essence she piggybacks on your work permit. Finding a job is a whole different story! 

-The reunion visa is not what you want if you are not a Spaniard. I can elaborate if needed....confusing when you read about it on the gov´t sites as it seems different than what it really is.

- If you do not apply for all visa´s at the same time you will waste multiple trips to Houston visiting our friend Blanca. my wife was stuck there with our girls for a month because of one stamp! *MAKE SURE YOUR COMPANY SUBMITS ALL OF THE VISAS TOGETHER.....can´t stress that enough!*

Luckily you have the company arranging as I did but be careful. The confusion comes in because the Spanish government, local provincial government and the consulate in the USA do not have the same guidelines or understanding of the rules so you have to step in and liase a bit to get things moving when they get stuck.

If you have any specific questions shoot me a mail. Good Luck!


----------



## Rolling Stone (Mar 29, 2010)

Your wife is allowed 90 days here with no visa. By the way....don´t confuse rules with enforcement. I have yet to see passport control with a calculator adding up the number of days in Spain for anyone. I have several friends that have been here for 2+ years with no visa and they go back and forth to the USA several times a year on vacation with no hassles.
My wife and daughters were here 6 months before we flew back to Houston to get thier visas. 
The only hassle fronm the delayed beurocracy is if you want to open a bank account or anything you need your NIE for.


----------



## jockm (Jun 23, 2009)

*Clarification?*



Rolling Stone said:


> - Your wife can work legally on a resident permit once you get your work permit. As of the new law passed in Decenber one other family member of a sponsored work permit holder (you) can work. In essence she piggybacks on your work permit. Finding a job is a whole different story!
> 
> -


Would you please clarify about the "new law passed in December"? Can you give me a further reference / name of law or something so I can google this? Thanks!


----------



## mariodfa (Mar 23, 2010)

jockm said:


> My husband and I are currently going through this process, although I am Australian and he is Argentinean. It is all pretty painful. We have found it difficult to get clear information but have scoured the Spanish law to try and understand the process. Apparently there is almost always an "articulo" that pertains to your situation. This link has quite a bit of info about working in Spain como extranjero Ministerio de Trabajo e Inmigracin: Guía Laboral.
> 
> The consulate here is not terribly helpful. We have also used a Spanish law firm that advertises online - you can call and speak either english or spanish and they have been very helpful in answering our queries. We have called twice and it has really helped to diffuse some of the stress.
> 
> ...


__________________________________
_Thanks so much jockm for your comments, your situation is almost exactly the same, except the age of the child, in our case she's over 18. Luckily we have 3-4 months to prepare before we move after the summer.

Based on what you are telling me and from what I've read elsewhere,I believe the best way is to apply for the visas is all at the same time, we definitively do not want to be separated for that long, already done that before for a few months...  bad idea. I will read thru the articulos and try to find more information, thanks for the link.

I do have another question... what other documentation will my wife and her child need (other than passport, police clearance, may be birth certificates?) and what stamps or seals will these document need? I'm like you, I'd rather have everything ready and avoid further delays due to red tape in Spanish immigration offices.

Also... and I might asking for a little too much... do you know anything about whether her daughter be able to attend school/university?

Once again thanks a lot for your comments,

_


----------



## mariodfa (Mar 23, 2010)

jockm said:


> Sorry, just read that you have found your consulate equally unhelpful. While they post (a little) info there are always shades of grey (e.g. in my situation the question of the notarised letter regarding custody) which would be nice to be able to consult the consulate on. As an Argentinean (although resident here) they told my husband he "might have to lodge his application in Argentina" - and said he should send through a fax with his Oz visa so they could tell whether that would be the case. We've never heard back, no response at all - this is the sort of thing that gets me going - if he did have to go to Argentina (and us apply here??? any sense in that???) it would be a major issue, expense and everything else, but they are completely disinterested in giving us the info. It was the Spanish lawyers who told us no, it can be lodged where you are legally resident.
> 
> It seems they prefer you to plough through the myriad places on the web, etc to bring together whatever you can - and if you have made a mistake you will find out when you application is held up. I personally would rather be prepared for that and have everything run smoothly.
> 
> ...


_Even thought I was told that I need to go back to Bolivia (my country of citizenship) I've found out that since I'm a legal resident of the US and they are US citizens we can all apply for our visas here in the US, we'll just have to see on the time it takes to get each visa processed. I already have my police clearance from there, I just need to get it apostilled and/or notarized.

Thanks,_


----------



## mariodfa (Mar 23, 2010)

Rolling Stone said:


> Your wife is allowed 90 days here with no visa. By the way....don´t confuse rules with enforcement. I have yet to see passport control with a calculator adding up the number of days in Spain for anyone. I have several friends that have been here for 2+ years with no visa and they go back and forth to the USA several times a year on vacation with no hassles.
> My wife and daughters were here 6 months before we flew back to Houston to get thier visas.
> The only hassle fronm the delayed beurocracy is if you want to open a bank account or anything you need your NIE for.


That's another option that we are considering, she could go back and forth between the US and Spain, stay there as long as allowed and then come back to the states (lots of travelling/acation for her I suppose). We are also from the Houston area, live in The Woodlands, so we definitively take your advice regarding the submittal of all visa requests together.

_Rolling Stone... good news regarding the piggyback ride for my wife's work :wave: . We are also interested in information regarding her daughter's school, we aren't sure whether she'll be able to attend university without paying the high international student fees. Let me know how I can contact you diretly through email. Your help and comments are appreciated.

Regards,_


----------



## jockm (Jun 23, 2009)

*My sit...*



mariodfa said:


> __________________________________
> _
> I do have another question... what other documentation will my wife and her child need (other than passport, police clearance, may be birth certificates?) and what stamps or seals will these document need? I'm like you, I'd rather have everything ready and avoid further delays due to red tape in Spanish immigration offices.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your thanks! The Oz Consulate requires:

Passport - 6 month validity + photocopy of details page
One visa application form per person
Two passport size photos, one of which must be glued (not stapled :confused2 to top left corner of app
Residence and Work Authorisation from Spain (Resolucion de Concesion de Autorizacion de Residencia y Trabajo)
Fingerprint check / police check from any country where you have lived in last 5 years - checks not to be more than 6 months old - this needs the apostille.
Medical cert from doc stating you have no diseases that could harm public health blah blah (there is a certain wording they require)
And - the fee 

Family members must supply evidence of relationship to work permit applicant (marriage cert, birth cert) and full medical insurance. If under 18 no police check.

We've got everything apostilled - i.e. birth certs, marriage certs, uni degrees etc so they will at least be recognised as official documents (even if the degree, for example, is not homolgado, at least they know it is genuine) when we are in Spain (even if it is not required for the visa process, you will probably need them further down the track in Spain).

All has to be lodged in person - have to make appointment.

Now, keep in mind this is what the consulate here in Oz requires, I have read that consulates may have slight variations / other requirements so you really need to check with them - they provided us with a letter that had the requirements listed (a breakthrough moment ).

I am afraid I do not know about uni and your daughter - no doubt there is an articulo. I'm having a bit of a google out of interest so I will see if I find something. I do know that there are no fees for attending school (and in fact I think they don't turn anyone away from enrolling in school, even those "sin papeles" but I could be wrong).

I believe that all students wanting to go to uni in Spain have to do a big scary exam at the end of grade 12 to get in. There are some american unis in spain but no doubt they charge high fees. Whatever, your wife's daughter will need pretty good spanish I am sure (perhaps already sorted?).

I am hoping Rolling Stone will reply regarding the change of law they have referred to - I have not heard of this and was not told this by the solicitor we spoke to, but if it is new it is possible they might not have been up on it.

I also do not know what Rolling Stone (I think it was RS) said about "make sure your boss puts in all the apps together", because my understanding is that the boss in spain just puts in a work visa permit app for YOU, it is not until you have this that you then apply for you and your family in your country of residence to get the work (for you) and residence (for all of you) visa.

Again, this is all my understanding of how it works, if anyone knows the finer detail, great!

All the best,
Jockm


----------



## jockm (Jun 23, 2009)

*Access to Spanish Universities*

The following link takes you to the Spanish government web site with info about entering Spanish unis. 

Australia

(In spanish).

Including legal stuff:

http://www.educacion.es/educacion/u...niversitaria/legislacion/acceso-admision.html


----------



## mariodfa (Mar 23, 2010)

jockm said:


> Would you please clarify about the "new law passed in December"? Can you give me a further reference / name of law or something so I can google this? Thanks!


_Yes, please do elaborate on the "new law passed", we definitively would like to read more on it.

Gracias,_


----------



## Rolling Stone (Mar 29, 2010)

mariodfa said:


> _Yes, please do elaborate on the "new law passed", we definitively would like to read more on it.
> 
> Gracias,_


I asked my HR dept to scan the provisions of the changes in the law from December and forward them to me so I can share them. I found out when I was in the process of renewing my work permit/residency cards a few weeks ago. The guy in the govt office was telling me about the changes then printed them for me and I gave them to HR so they would be up to date for the other expats in the company. When they return from holiday Monday I should have the official papers to share. They also pulled it up online to verify so it is on the web.


----------



## libove (Feb 24, 2008)

Rolling Stone's advice on the recent changes to the foreigners' law (fully titled "LEY ORGÁNICA 4/2000, DE 11 DE ENERO, SOBRE DERECHOS Y LIBERTADES DE LOS EXTRANJEROS EN ESPAÑA Y SU INTEGRACIÓN SOCIAL, EN SU REDACCIÓN DADA POR LAS LEYES ORGÁNICAS 8/2000, DE 22 DE DICIEMBRE, 11/2003, DE 29 DE SEPTIEMBRE, 14/2003, DE 20 DE NOVIEMBRE Y 2/2009, DE 11 DE DICIEMBRE.") is basically correct.

You can find this entire law online by searching for the full text I included above, or send me a private message with your email and I'll send you a copy of the fully updated law. (It's a PDF file, about 340K, so not too big). In Spanish, of course.

The LO 4-2000 is the basic law applying to foreigners' rights and obligations in Spain since 2000. It was augmented by the RD 2393 and significantly updated in December 2009 by the LO 2-2009.

One of the key changes is that 'regrouped' (reagrupado) adult family members do indeed get the right to work, piggybacked as someone noted, on their spouse's work permit. I am not sure however whether this occurs immediately, or is automatic only after the first renewal (which occurs one year after the initial visa issuance date).

Another piece of advice that you've received in this thread, to ensure that the initial visa request on behalf of the worker includes the whole family, is very valid. If those requests are not made all together, you may have to wait one year before being able to apply separately for reagrupacion.

The person who challenged whether the 'employer' submitting the request for your visa has any standing, I'm not sure - my own work visa was originally requested on my behalf in Spain by the employer who wanted me here. The paperwork they filed did include my wife, so when my visa was issued, her's too was issued at exactly the same time. I believe that your employer indeed DOES have a critical role to play in this, and you must work with them BEFORE they file any paperwork to make sure they understand and accommodate your whole situation. For your sake, I hope your employer is more sophisticated than mine was!

Something which may have changed since my visa was issued in mid-2008, my wife was able to come on my own work visa only because my salary was fairly high. Whether there is a specific number in a rule somewhere, or it is just the sensible matter of ensuring that the job on offer will provide enough income to support your family with you, I don't know. Something else to check with your employer. (n.b. what I was told at the time was that "high" meant a nómina bruto of >€60,000/year).

Good luck!
Jay
Barcelona


----------



## mariodfa (Mar 23, 2010)

One of the key changes is that 'regrouped' (reagrupado) adult family members do indeed get the right to work, piggybacked as someone noted, on their spouse's work permit. I am not sure however whether this occurs immediately, or is automatic only after the first renewal (which occurs one year after the initial visa issuance date).

Another piece of advice that you've received in this thread, to ensure that the initial visa request on behalf of the worker includes the whole family, is very valid. If those requests are not made all together, you may have to wait one year before being able to apply separately for reagrupacion.

The person who challenged whether the 'employer' submitting the request for your visa has any standing, I'm not sure - my own work visa was originally requested on my behalf in Spain by the employer who wanted me here. The paperwork they filed did include my wife, so when my visa was issued, her's too was issued at exactly the same time. I believe that your employer indeed DOES have a critical role to play in this, and you must work with them BEFORE they file any paperwork to make sure they understand and accommodate your whole situation. For your sake, I hope your employer is more sophisticated than mine was!

Something which may have changed since my visa was issued in mid-2008, my wife was able to come on my own work visa only because my salary was fairly high. Whether there is a specific number in a rule somewhere, or it is just the sensible matter of ensuring that the job on offer will provide enough income to support your family with you, I don't know. Something else to check with your employer. (n.b. what I was told at the time was that "high" meant a nómina bruto of >€60,000/year).

Good luck!
Jay
Barcelona[/QUOTE]

_Thanks for all the information, if you could please clarify on the joint visa application. It is my understanding that the *residence *visa is the last step after a work permit has been issued from the Spanish Dept. of Labor; the work permit will be requested on my behalf by my employer in Spain. I haven't heard of work visa itself, rateher a residence visa which we will all need to apply in the US. So I don't know if by work visa you actually mean your work permit.

My company is fully aware of the situation and is on board with the joint visa application, no reagrupacion visa; that way we don't have to wait 1yr. before my family can join me in Spain. My gross salary would be around the number on your post.

Thanks again,_


----------



## libove (Feb 24, 2008)

Good point - I apologize for confusing the terms. A visa is what lets you enter the country. A work permit is a status associated with your foreigner identity. So when the Consulate in Miami sent me the notice back in ~August 2008 that my Spanish work permit had been preliminarily approved, it allowed me to submit all sorts of papers to the Consulate with the ultimate result of my Passport receiving an actual Visa paper. This was good for 90 days, required me within that time to present myself physically in Spain, and then go through lots more paperwork which ultimately resulted in November 2008 in my being presented a plastic ID card - a foreigner ID card - which said on the back that I was permitted to work.

I never saw the actual paperwork submitted at the beginning of this whole process by my employer in Spain. But it sounds like you're doing this with a company that has its act together, such that your own work permit status will have the right characteristics so that the Consulate will approve your spouse's enter-for-residence-only entry Visa along with your enter-for-work Visa when you two go to the Consulate, and later when you are in Spain and you go to get your Spanish Foreigner ID cards, they will approve your application for your spouse's residence-only Foreigner ID card.

Simple, right?
Jay




mariodfa said:


> _Thanks for all the information, if you could please clarify on the joint visa application. It is my understanding that the *residence *visa is the last step after a work permit has been issued from the Spanish Dept. of Labor; the work permit will be requested on my behalf by my employer in Spain. I haven't heard of work visa itself, rateher a residence visa which we will all need to apply in the US. So I don't know if by work visa you actually mean your work permit.
> 
> My company is fully aware of the situation and is on board with the joint visa application, no reagrupacion visa; that way we don't have to wait 1yr. before my family can join me in Spain. My gross salary would be around the number on your post.
> 
> Thanks again,_


----------



## mariodfa (Mar 23, 2010)

libove said:


> Good point - I apologize for confusing the terms. A visa is what lets you enter the country. A work permit is a status associated with your foreigner identity. So when the Consulate in Miami sent me the notice back in ~August 2008 that my Spanish work permit had been preliminarily approved, it allowed me to submit all sorts of papers to the Consulate with the ultimate result of my Passport receiving an actual Visa paper. This was good for 90 days, required me within that time to present myself physically in Spain, and then go through lots more paperwork which ultimately resulted in November 2008 in my being presented a plastic ID card - a foreigner ID card - which said on the back that I was permitted to work.
> 
> I never saw the actual paperwork submitted at the beginning of this whole process by my employer in Spain. But it sounds like you're doing this with a company that has its act together, such that your own work permit status will have the right characteristics so that the Consulate will approve your spouse's enter-for-residence-only entry Visa along with your enter-for-work Visa when you two go to the Consulate, and later when you are in Spain and you go to get your Spanish Foreigner ID cards, they will approve your application for your spouse's residence-only Foreigner ID card.
> 
> ...



_OK, no problem on the confusion, I much rather ask this now to people who are nice enough to answer all these questions, and have a clearer picture... than to run into unpleasant surprises with the paperwork with the Spanish offices. I'm in Houston so I think my immigration case with Spain will look pretty similar to yours.

Going back to your original msg... *which is that needs to be submitted alltogether for myself and family, the work permit request in Spain? or the visa applications at the consulate?* I won't see neither what all documentation my employer will turn in in Spain for the work permit, but we've agreed that if needed they will present paperwork for my family as well, that's why I'm trying to find as much info as I can , so I can also start gathering documentation I can give my employer for my family.

Hope it is as simple as the way you put it._


----------



## libove (Feb 24, 2008)

I believe that when the company submits information in Spain for your work permit, there should be something in that submission which says that you plan to bring your family too. But as I never saw that paperwork, I do not know. I suggest that you ask your employer to be transparent about this whole process with you, so that you understand it completely, and everything is more likely to go smoothly both in Spain and in Houston.
By the way, I did find the Miami Consulate, though very busy and a bit hard to reach, fairly helpful when I could reach them. If Houston is unreachable or just plain unhelpful, you might try other Consulates. They may warn you that processes can vary from one Consulate to another, but if you're processing a standard request (which it sounds like you are), then on the whole whatever one Consulate tells you should be pretty applicable, and will be better than nothing!


----------



## jockm (Jun 23, 2009)

mariodfa said:


> _
> Going back to your original msg... *which is that needs to be submitted alltogether for myself and family, the work permit request in Spain? or the visa applications at the consulate?* I won't see neither what all documentation my employer will turn in in Spain for the work permit, but we've agreed that if needed they will present paperwork for my family as well, that's why I'm trying to find as much info as I can , so I can also start gathering documentation I can give my employer for my family.
> 
> Hope it is as simple as the way you put it._


Hi Mariodfa, my husband and I also read the OPs post with interest as it was me that originally said that the employer in Spain puts in the work permit application for YOU, and in your country of residence you put in the visa application for yourself and your family. The forms that are submitted in Spain are (amongst other documentation about the company etc, by the employer) the EX01 and the EX06 (I believe). If you google these you will see the closest either of these get to asking about your family is whether you (the applicant) are married, single, etc (estado civil). The forms do not ask for the names of your family members.

So I too would like to know if the OP can expand on the information provided about making sure your employer puts in the application for your family as well - as far as I am aware this is NOT the situation - but I am _very_ keen to be illuminated if the OP has further information.

Also, in relation to the law change in 2009, this is about the spouse being able to work immediately, but only in cases of regrupacion familiar, which is not what you are proposing (you are proposing to all apply together for the visa). In light of that, I still believe your spouse will have to wait a year before she can work. Again, if anyone knows different, please advise!

Did you get an answer to your question about university for your daughter?

Kind regards
Jockm


----------



## jockm (Jun 23, 2009)

*This bit....*



libove said:


> The person who challenged whether the 'employer' submitting the request for your visa has any standing, I'm not sure - my own work visa was originally requested on my behalf in Spain by the employer who wanted me here. The paperwork they filed did include my wife, so when my visa was issued, her's too was issued at exactly the same time. I believe that your employer indeed DOES have a critical role to play in this, and you must work with them BEFORE they file any paperwork to make sure they understand and accommodate your whole situation. For your sake, I hope your employer is more sophisticated than mine was!


If you are able to expand on this, it would be very helpful. You say it plays a "critical" role in the process, and that they need to have it sorted "before" they file any paperwork - so I'm really interested to know what it is you are referring to (because it's not the EX01 or EX06). I think the OP would like to know this as well.



libove said:


> Something which may have changed since my visa was issued in mid-2008, my wife was able to come on my own work visa only because my salary was fairly high. Whether there is a specific number in a rule somewhere, or it is just the sensible matter of ensuring that the job on offer will provide enough income to support your family with you, I don't know. Something else to check with your employer. (n.b. what I was told at the time was that "high" meant a nómina bruto of >€60,000/year).


Could you explain what you are talking about here? When you say "my wife was able to come on my own work visa only because my salary was fairly high" - do you mean she would not have had a visa approved if you had earnt less? And that she would therefore have had to go down the regrupacion familiar route? It is not an issue for me, but I am interested to know exactly what you mean.

Thanks!


----------



## libove (Feb 24, 2008)

jockm, as it was explained to me two years ago, my wife's spouse residence-only visa/permit was only possible to be issued concurrently with my work visa/permit because of the high level of my job. Had my job been at a lower level, it was explained to me that I would have had to have lived in Spain for a year and then applied for reagrupacion. As I never saw the original forms filed by my employer with the government, I do not know the mechanics of all of this, I'm sorry.


----------



## jockm (Jun 23, 2009)

libove said:


> jockm, as it was explained to me two years ago, my wife's spouse residence-only visa/permit was only possible to be issued concurrently with my work visa/permit because of the high level of my job. Had my job been at a lower level, it was explained to me that I would have had to have lived in Spain for a year and then applied for reagrupacion. As I never saw the original forms filed by my employer with the government, I do not know the mechanics of all of this, I'm sorry.


Thanks for that, it makes sense.


----------



## mariodfa (Mar 23, 2010)

jockm said:


> Hi Mariodfa, my husband and I also read the OPs post with interest as it was me that originally said that the employer in Spain puts in the work permit application for YOU, and in your country of residence you put in the visa application for yourself and your family. The forms that are submitted in Spain are (amongst other documentation about the company etc, by the employer) the EX01 and the EX06 (I believe). If you google these you will see the closest either of these get to asking about your family is whether you (the applicant) are married, single, etc (estado civil). The forms do not ask for the names of your family members.
> 
> So I too would like to know if the OP can expand on the information provided about making sure your employer puts in the application for your family as well - as far as I am aware this is NOT the situation - but I am _very_ keen to be illuminated if the OP has further information.
> 
> ...



_Jock... I agree with your comments regarding my employer turning in paperwork in Spain on my behalf for the wor permit, I will contact them about including information regarding my family. I would also like very much to know what type of information is needed, anyone out there with more info on this???

We are definitively not doing the reagrupacion familiar we are not even considering the year apart before they get to join me in Spain. If at the end of the my wife can't work for the first year then so be it, I guess she'll just have to enjoy a nice sabbatical.
Unfortunately, we have not any answer regarding my daughter's school, however after we all get registered at the local ayuntamiento or whatever the gov't office is called and get our NIEs, I understand from one of the posts that we are entitled just as any other legal resident of Spain to health and education, including university. I have not contacted yet any universities regarding the admissions process etc etc.

Regards,_


----------

