Spain has truly become a land of immigration for many. The largest part of immigrants come from South America, North Africa and Eastern Europe filling the gaps often for menial work as Spain became more affluent over the last decades. In this article however, we’re highlighting those countries where the largest part of our students come from.
Our students mainly Western Europe, North America and the Far East. For those who are a member of the European Union, the technicalities to work in Spain are very limited. You have the right to work here without working visa and all that is required are two documents that require you to have some bureaucratic stamina but are easy to obtain: your NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjeros) and your social security number (seguridad social).
The largest number of people working and living in Spain from the EU come from the United Kingdom, followed by Italy and Germany. It is perhaps surprising to see how many Chinese nationals reside in Spain but that can be explained by the fact that many Chinese were born in Spain but kept their Chinese passports rather than assume Spanish nationality.
Over 50.000 Brazilians are registered to work in Spain but again numbers are not always what they seem like. Many Brazilians with European roots (often Portuguese or Italian) have obtained an EU passport and found work in Spain and do therefore not fall in the category “Brazilian”. The same applies for many other Latin American nationals especially from Argentina who found legal residence via the roots of their forefathers.
Very few workers from South Korea and Japan live and work in Spain compared to the size of their country but this may have to do with the fact that Spain is not strong in the typical industries of these countries like manufacturing and high tech.
And where do the foreign residents make a home for themselves? There are no surprises here as the highest number of immigrants live in the big regions of Madrid (838.976 inmigrants) and Barcelona (708.889). Other large areas are Alicante, Múrcia and Málaga. Múrcia is large because of its agricultural importance and in Málaga and Alicante you’ll find many semi-permanent residents from Northern Europe.
In total over 4.500.000 foreigners live in Spain which is about 10% of the total population. There is no doubt that this will change Spanish identity, culinary customs and history in the decades to come.
A day-trip to charming Toledo 
Tapas and drinking in Barcelona (Part 2) – Cava bars in Barcelona 
Aprende más sobre la Tomatina 
Summertime tips for Seville 
¿Y qué comemos en verano? 
