Hi,

World Crisis + Non-existent relationship between Spain and Australia has indicated that any attempt to obtain a work permit in Spain is near impossible, but there must be a few Aussies out there that have managed to travel through the system and are now living here….PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME!!>???

Situation as follows:
- I am currently in Spain on tourist visa, working as a volunteer as I have no papers, teaching sailing.
- I am a Project Manager in Construction but given current situation no-one is hiring and obtaining a work permit for my skill set seems very hard - What is the exact procedure for this? Obtain contract, return to Oz and Apply? How long does application from Oz take?
- My boyfriend is Peruvian. He has been here for 7 years, studying and now is working as a Doctor under a work permit - Therefore would marriage only provide me with the ability to remain here legally and still not work?
- Should I try to find a Spanish volunteer to marry me to remain? Would this provide me with full rights to work and live here?? How long does it take? Do I need to go back to Aus at all??
- What is the likelihood that a company would hire me without papers? Not talking just about a bar or a dodgy restaurant?
- Could I obtain an autonomo Visa? There doesn’t seem to be any information about Australians having autonomo visas. If I was a resident….by marrying my boyfriend, would I then be able to apply??

If any other illegal Aussies could provide me with some information about how you are managing to get by I would be very interested. Or if there are actually any Aussies out there who are somehow legal, who weren’t just lucky enough to be born with European ancestory I would love to know HOW??????!!!!!!!

Not only do I want to learn Spanish and I love Spain, but I can’t leave for 3 years….well not without my boyfriend as he is completing a specialisation here in Spain and is unable to transfer it. He was thinking of throwing it in and starting it somewhere else but that would be a terrible waste if we were somehow able to get around it.

The end of August is approaching and I was hoping to start my intense job search when business returns in September….any tips??

Muchas Gracias…....Besos

hello!

well, in short - there is no short answer to your problems. it’s hard. i’m lucky, i have european ancestry and even then i still had problems! it’s hard, and even the spanish don’t seem to know how the system works.

lucky thing is - your boyfriend is peruvian. a lot of south americans seem to know how to get through loop holes. i’m sure you have already done this, but ask around and see if any of his mates or family have worked a few things out, or have helped other non-euros. although as south americans they have special privileges, they often have insider tips for those that don’t.

second - have you made any friends who have an influential position in their company? are they able to ‘sponsor’ you? sometimes this can help in getting a visa.

as to whether you would have to return to aus or not, i’m not sure. i am waiting on a friend from the us who was in a similar situation, so when she gets back to me i’ll repost what she did.

as for getting married - it is difficult! they are, as with every country with high immigration, very suspicious and it’s a long long process. the australian embassy should have some info, and maybe even this site does too, as to what steps you would have to go through. 

and for illegal work - there is quite a bit available. basically, they can pay you less because you can’t really do anything about it. the only problem is knowing where to look and not getting into trouble for it. while i was struggling to find ‘real’ employment i registered myself on some nanny sites and english tutoring sites, and even though i’m legal, i did notice that no one asked for papers, and it’s cash in hand. there are a LOT of euro families who look for australian and english girls to be their nanny, and often it’s quite good money, especially if it’s in pounds. i don’t know if you like kids, but it’s an option anyway. the english tutoring was also pretty easy, especially when they wanted their children to learn english - you read books, ask lots of basic questions and play very basic games.

finally, til i get the rest of the info together, there is a saying: quien q no llora, no mama. a baby that doesn’t cry won’t get fed. australians don’t usually make a fuss, because no one likes a whinger. spains always make a fuss, because otherwise there’s obviously no problem. sometimes being polite will just get you nowhere. especially with beauro systems.

good luck!

Thanks Anita

Any information that you come across I would love to hear about. Unfortunately these sights tend to be full of people with questions, but once anyone finds an answer they no longer log on to share…..if I eventually find the answer it will be printed in BOLD??

Just wondering if you could share the links to the nanny sights that you used. I can only seem to find Au-pair work which doesn’t involve payment but rather live-in and food allowance. This would not really help me in my situation. I do like kids, have been volunteering as a Sailing Instructor for the summer, so this would definitely be an option.

Thanks again.