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The little-known way foreigners in Murcia are now securing Spanish residency
One curious and previously overlooked avenue for obtaining residence permits in Murcia is on the rise among foreigners
Many foreigners are drawn to the sunny and picturesque Region of Murcia, seeking a new life in Spain. There are several ways to obtain residency to live in Spain, including working in Spain, securing a Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) by proving financial self-sufficiency, or, until recently, through the Golden Visa scheme, which allowed residency through investment in luxury property. However, Spain is now scrapping the Golden Visa route, making other options more appealing.Now, an increasing number of foreigners in the Region of Murcia are securing residency by enrolling in vocational training courses. Murcia has become the second Spanish autonomous community with the highest number of residence authorisations granted for training purposes, accounting for 19.7% of all such permits in Spain double – the national average.
The concept of ‘formación profesional’ is fast becoming one of the main pathways for foreigners living in an irregular situation to obtain temporary residence in Murcia.
This legal mechanism allows individuals to regularise their status by committing to vocational training programmes. A recent study by CaixaBank Dualiza and Orkestra-Basque Institute of Competitiveness highlights the growing importance of this route, particularly in light of Spain’s demographic challenges and skills shortages.
In 2023, 7,292 foreign citizens obtained temporary residence permits in Murcia, with 19.7% doing so through vocational training. This figure is significantly higher than the national average of 11% and is second only to the Basque Country (20.3%).
The breakdown of residency approvals in Murcia shows that 43.9% were granted for social reasons, 27.9% for family links, 19.7% for the professional training route and 8.4% via employment.
At the national level, vocational training is playing an increasingly crucial role in regularisation. In 2023, Spain granted 23,097 residence permits based on this kind of training, making up more than 10% of the total 210,334 authorisations approved for that year. This marks a steep rise from 2022, when just 953 individuals nationwide obtained residency through this route.
Stricter requirements coming in May
Currently, regulations do not require applicants to undertake full vocational training qualifications to obtain this ‘arraigo por formación’. However, from May 2025 onwards, more stringent requirements will be introduced.
Applicants will need to enrol in longer and more demanding courses, such as intermediate vocational training degrees or specialist vocational qualifications, to qualify for residence.
The study also highlights the demographic profile of those benefiting from ‘arraigo por formación’, showing that 70% of the permits were granted to men, with the majority (40.9%) aged between 25 and 34.
Murcia’s Regional Ministry of Education has emphasised that vocational training is one of the most effective ways to reduce early school leaving among young people of employment age, particularly among socially and economically vulnerable populations, including foreigners in irregular situations.
By providing structured education and recognised qualifications, this pathway not only aids in residency regularisation but also enhances employability, helping to meet Spain’s labour market demands.
With upcoming policy changes set to make vocational training requirements more rigorous, the trend of foreigners using this route to obtain residency may evolve further. However, its role in facilitating integration and addressing workforce shortages is likely to remain significant in the years to come, according to the CaixaBank Dualiza study.
