Speaking to journalists on 3 November, María Farnés Martínez, the chief prosecutor for the Canary Islands, criticised the new Foreigners Act provision that gives authorities just 15 days to determine whether newly arrived migrants are under 18. The rule was designed to speed up transfers of unaccompanied minors from the overcrowded islands to mainland care facilities.
Martínez argued that medical bone-age tests, document verification and social-services interviews rarely finish within two weeks—especially on El Hierro, where young arrivals must be ferried to Tenerife for X-rays. The rushed timetable, she warned, risks misclassifying adults as children and vice-versa, jeopardising both child-protection standards and legal certainty.
![Canary Islands prosecutor says 15-day age-test rule for migrant minors is unworkable]()
Her remarks come as Madrid negotiates the relocation of about 3,000 minors to other regions. Several autonomous communities have voiced concerns that inaccurate age assessments could saddle them with cases outside their competence. NGOs echo the prosecutor’s call to extend the deadline and fund specialised forensic units on the islands.
For corporate relocation teams operating in the Canaries’ tourism and wind-energy hubs, the controversy could affect staffing plans. Mis-classification cases often trigger court injunctions that suspend flights, and regional strikes by social-workers are a looming risk. Companies hosting expatriates in the archipelago should monitor potential disruptions at airports and ferry ports if transfers are delayed.
Martínez argued that medical bone-age tests, document verification and social-services interviews rarely finish within two weeks—especially on El Hierro, where young arrivals must be ferried to Tenerife for X-rays. The rushed timetable, she warned, risks misclassifying adults as children and vice-versa, jeopardising both child-protection standards and legal certainty.
Her remarks come as Madrid negotiates the relocation of about 3,000 minors to other regions. Several autonomous communities have voiced concerns that inaccurate age assessments could saddle them with cases outside their competence. NGOs echo the prosecutor’s call to extend the deadline and fund specialised forensic units on the islands.
For corporate relocation teams operating in the Canaries’ tourism and wind-energy hubs, the controversy could affect staffing plans. Mis-classification cases often trigger court injunctions that suspend flights, and regional strikes by social-workers are a looming risk. Companies hosting expatriates in the archipelago should monitor potential disruptions at airports and ferry ports if transfers are delayed.
