Residence Permit with Work after finishing Studies

The current regulation on foreigners RD 1155/2024 promotes access to employment in a simpler way than the previous one. Whether you have completed university studies, bachelor’s, master’s or higher education; an intermediate or higher degree as well as professional certifications from Grade C level 2 onwards, you can now apply directly for a residence permit as an employee, colloquially known as residence with work, once you have completed your studies. It is also possible to apply prior to the end of the internship without the need to chain several training contracts.

The most important new feature is that work can begin as soon as the application has been admitted for processing. That is to say, as long as the application is not rejected because it was erroneously submitted and even if later there is a requirement for lack of additional documentation, from the very moment of admission you can be registered with the social security and start working and logically contribute with all the benefits of the law, even though it is provisional until approval. This is also excellent news for the employer, who avoids having to wait for the file to be granted and is hired directly as a fully trained worker from the start. In short, from minute one the working conditions are the definitive ones that will then be fully approved when the work permit is granted. It is essential to clarify that the working day can be full (40 hours/week), exceeding the limitation of a maximum of 30 hours per week for study purposes. It is also very favorable that the national employment situation is not taken into consideration, since not all studies lead to professions that are difficult to cover, the list of which is revised periodically on a quarterly basis.

Finally, it is possible to regroup the cohabiting family member as long as the salary allows it and there is adequate housing available for this purpose. Without forgetting that the Entrepreneurs Law enables to start a business project or start looking for a job.