Question
“Hi everyone, I have a highly qualified worker Spain ‘Altamente Cualificado’ residence permit that is going to expire soon, and I’m not currently employed by any employer, can I get my current residence permit renewed without depending on an employer?
Or should I change my residence permit from Altamente cualficaley to any other type of residence permit? And how?”
Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
“If you are unfamiliar with the Spanish bureaucracy and don’t speak the language, I highly recommend hiring a lawyer.”
“Here you can find our highly recommended lawyers, 3 of them are based in Madrid: [Link to SpainGuru legal services].”
“You or your employer needed to report to the immigration office if the position was put on hold even before you could start working. Your best bet now is to find a full-time job, any full-time job that pays at least minimum wage and do so before these 4 months period that you have ends (important) and then try to apply for modificacion de la residencia y trabajo por cuenta ajena.
If you could find a HQP job earlier then it should be easy to find an ordinary job. Other options include a digital nomad visa if you can find remote work that generates at least 80 percent of your income from outside Spain (and you can apply only after you’ve worked in that role for at least 3 months) or consider autonomo. A little complicated but could work out as well.”
“How can I shift to autonomo? Do I need a lawyer for that?”
“Should’ve really applied for change within a month of leaving past employer visa was based on. No you can’t renew as you are not employed as you can only modify before a residency permit expires.
So once it expires and you do not meet requirements for renewal, what occurs? If you changed employers as long as needs are met for renewal and company agrees ie. Same qualified position.
And notified change possibly. But of course, wait till it expires before seeking advice instead of seeking it when circumstances change. Guessing reading notes on change in circumstances must be notified within 1 month fall on deaf ears.”
“Thanks for your comment, but let me clarify few things, 1- I didn’t quit the job, the entry visa to Spain took a long time in processing and by the time I arrived, the position was put on hold. 2 – I still have around 4 months left in my current residence permit, can I change it now? And what would be the type of residence that fits my situation?”
Conclusion
Navigating the renewal of a Highly Qualified Worker Spain without current employment presents significant challenges.
Options for those in this situation include finding any qualifying employment, transitioning to a different type of visa such as a digital nomad or autonomo, or legal modification of the existing permit.
It’s essential to act quickly before the current permit expires and to consult with a specialized immigration lawyer to explore all viable pathways and ensure compliance with Spanish immigration laws.
