Two weeks ago I applied for nationality under the Historical Memory Law at the consulate in Los Angeles, California. One of the representatives there said that she did not think I would qualify because I couldn’t prove my grandfather was a “political exile.” He left Spain in 1946 to come work in the United States, and I presented proof of this.
Has anyone here successfully applied under Annexo II of this law (as grandchildren of exiled Spaniards)? According to the Ministry of Justice’s website, “The exile status shall be presumed in the case of all Spaniards who left Spain between 18 July 1936 and 31 December 1955. The departure from Spain may be certified by means of any of the above-mentioned documents.” I thought that was pretty cut-and-dry, but today I received a letter stating that I have to supply further proof of my grandfather’s exile (I already gave them his Spanish passport with entry stamps into the United States in 1946, and a copy of his US naturalization papers). I’m a little panicked.
