Whether you are a non-EU citizen planning to start studying in Spain or you already have your student visa, this article is for you because today we will solve the doubt of many foreign students: how can I start working once I have finished my studies? In these cases, the Spanish job search visa is the solution.
We will explain how to get it and the requirements to obtain it in order to find a job as a student.
What is a job search visa?
A Spanish job search visa is a residence permit granted to non-EU students who have completed their studies in Spain so that they can extend their stay in the country for another year. This time is given so that they can find a job or create their own business.
So far, foreign students were only allowed to legally reside in Spain until they finished their studies or until the date on their TIE card expired. Having a student visa allowed you to stay in the country only for that period of time.
This, without a doubt, is an ideal option for most.
But if you are a foreign student and want to try getting a job in Spain you cannot miss this article where we explain how to get your job search visa. Mainly because this is a great opportunity for those looking to gain more experience in the professional environment of a foreign country.
Main advantages of the Spanish for job search visa
What are the main benefits of a residence permit for students who want to find a job?
- You can stay in Spain for an extra year, without having to invest in the country.
- As also happens with the student visa, which allows you to bring your spouse or children and have them legally live with you, the same applies here. Family members who have accompanied the student and who apply for this visa will have their residence linked (all the time) to the holder of the main authorization (this is, the foreign student in Spain). Consequently, they can also stay with you in Spain for another year with a job search visa.
- The entire application is done online, so the process is easier.
- The application process is really fast, taking a maximum of 20 days to obtain the resolution.
Can I work with a Spanish job search visa?
This residence permit produces several doubts, and many of them come with this issue. The answer? No. You cannot work in Spain with a job search visa. This visa is the bridge to getting a work permit. So once you find a job offer, you will have to start the full legal procedure to formalize it.
But even if you cannot work with this visa, it is a required step to be able to do so later.
How to work in Spain as a foreign student?
Many students, once they finished their studies (bachelor’s degree, master’s, or Ph.D.), wanted to experience their first contact with the work environment. Others were brave enough to create their own project, so they started a company.
But usually, they found two problems, related to how the situation was before.
The situation of students in Spain before the change in regulations
Let’s take a quick look at what things were like before this new law came into force so we can understand how you should proceed today.
Lack of legal time
First of all, the student visa did not allow them to stay long enough to find a job. As we have mentioned, this card is only valid until the studies end, and in this case, it is not possible to renew it since the course has come to an end.
That expiration date was assigned by the university. The student explained how much time was required for them to finish the academic course(s), and from there the date was extracted.
This forced many students to look for a job or an internship at the same time they were studying, and as soon as they finished it they had to leave Spain.
Insufficient years with the student visa to be able to obtain the work permit
Also, obtaining a work permit as a student could be complicated. Especially if you had studied only one year in Spain, so you could only get a work permit as a highly qualified worker (if you met all the requirements).
Getting a regular work permit as a student required at least 3 years on a student visa.
The solution to work as a student: the job search visa
However, in 2019 the situation changed radically.
Now, as a foreigner with a student visa, you can stay in the country legally even after finishing studying. But how? Well, now you can apply for a residence permit for students looking for work, best known as the “job search visa”.
With it, you will be allowed to stay for a maximum of 12 months to find a job or start your own business project. You must begin the process 60 days before or 90 days after finishing your studies in Spain.
This way, the time limitation is solved.
Moreover, it is not necessary for the job position to be highly qualified: you can still get a regular work permit to work in any company in Spanish territory.
Thus, this permit creates a perfect pathway for all those who have a hard time getting a work permit in the first place (as the requirements are very strict and difficult to meet). You can first study for a year in the country, then get a Spanish job search visa and ultimately start working for a company with your work permit.
Requirements to apply for a Spanish job search visa as a student
This may be one of the most important sections of this article. Well, we will solve many of the questions that our clients usually ask. First, let’s see the four main requirements that you must meet to request this extension of stay for studies:
- The first requirement that you must meet is to have finished your studies. These must have a minimum level of 6 (equivalent to a bachelor’s degree), and it can also be a master’s degree (level 7), or a doctorate (level 8). So, sadly, a language course will not be enough.
- Medical insurance, public or private, but with full coverage in the national territory.
- You must prove that you are economically independent of the state. That means, having sufficient financial resources to remain in the country when you are looking for a job.
- Not all universities and schools will help you get this visa. The institution you study at must be on the list provided by the government for your application to be accepted.
- Foreign students can apply for this permit 60 days before their student visa expires or 90 days after. And that will not necessarily coincide with the length of your studies.
How can I find out if my university is valid for the application for this job search visa?
This should be the first thing you check, perhaps even when deciding which university to apply to in the first place. Because if you want to stay in Spain for the long term, it makes a lot of sense to spend time considering what to study. Keep in mind, as we have previously said, that not all academic institutions will be valid.
To obtain your residence permit to look for work as a student, you must make sure that your university is on the university list that you will find on the webpage of the Ministry of Universities.
Legal Application Process
Obtaining this visa is easy. And is worth remembering that, to apply for it you must be in Spain.
However, because this permit is recently created, you must request it online, taking into account that the entire process must be carried out in the same city where you reside so that the authorities can verify your registration certificate.
Once you submit all the necessary documentation (which we will now see), the immigration office will take a maximum of 20 days to issue the resolution.
Once the application is approved, you must make an appointment at the police station to register your fingerprints and obtain your residence card.
List of documents to provide
During the application for the post-study work visa, to obtain your card you must present:
- Application Form EX-01. It is the same as for the non-profit residence visa, but this time you must check the option “Holder of stay for the higher studies that cease, for job search”.
- Payment of the corresponding Fee 790/012, which you can find here.
- Passport and NIE.
- Empadronamiento.
- A document certifying that you obtained a favorable response from the Immigration Office.
What happens once you find a job? Changing a student visa for a residence and work permit
As we have mentioned, with the Spanish job search visa you will have 12 months to find a job in Spain. But what should you do once you find it?
Basically, you will have to exchange your job search visa for a residence and work permit. But you could find yourself with two different possibilities: start working in a company, or creating your own.
Change to a work permit as self-employed
Also known as “permiso de trabajo por cuenta propia“. In this sense, there are two options: do it through the entrepreneur visa (if your project is innovative and of a high technological level), or do it the normal way by requesting a work permit as a self-employed worker.
Change to a work permit as an employee
Also known as “permiso de trabajo por cuenta ajena“. Here, the first step will be to find a job offer from a company willing to hire you. It is important that the job position you find is related to your previous studies, and that it requires the skills that correspond to your level of education.
You also have two options in this case: request a regular work permit, or obtain it as a highly qualified worker (if your salary is more than 40,000 euros per year and if it is a technical or administrative position), in the first case the General Immigration Law will be applicable, and in the second the Entrepreneurs Law.
And this has an important implication, because if the Immigration Law is applicable, then the national unemployment situation will be taken into account. For instance, if there is a Spanish citizen or a legal resident who is willing to accept the same job position, they will have priority over you.
Only in really specific cases (such as when you are the child or spouse of a resident in Spain, the child of a Spanish citizen of origin, etc.), you will also have that priority.
However, the government stated that, if not getting that job for which you have found an offer risks your ability to possess sufficient economic means to live, then the national employment situation factor could be avoided. But if the general rule applies, you can only get that job if there are no other Spanish citizens suitable or willing to be hired by the company.
Get legal assistance to apply for a Spanish Job Search Visa
Now that you know how this new immigration regulation can benefit you. Do you want to extend your student residence permit and obtain a visa to find a job?
Well, you can always contact us! Fill in our contact form and we will call you to help you as soon as possible, schedule your free online consultation, or just text our WhatsApp. It is always good to leave bureaucratic issues in the hands of specialists.
