In coordinated dawn raids on 13 February, National Police arrested six people in Algeciras, Madrid and Huelva accused of selling forged payslips, tenancy contracts and vaccination certificates to migrants who failed to meet the criteria for Spain’s new regularisation scheme. The investigation began after an anonymous tip to the Anti-Fraud Hotline revealed that a paralegal in Algeciras was charging up to €1,500 per file to fabricate the documents needed for residency applications.
Police say the network’s modus operandi was simple but lucrative: an intermediary recruited clients, two ‘gestoras’ in Huelva assembled counterfeit paperwork and then filed the dossiers at Foreigners’ Offices in Cádiz and Seville. At least 20 fraudulent applications were traced, generating close to €30,000 in illegal profits.
At a time when immigration paperwork is under increasing scrutiny, applicants can safeguard themselves by using established service providers such as VisaHQ. Through its Spain-focused platform (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), VisaHQ offers detailed guidance on visa and residence procedures, verifies the authenticity of supporting documents and tracks submissions in real time—helping clients stay compliant and avoid the pitfalls highlighted by this investigation.
![Police Dismantle Document-Forgery Ring Aiding Irregular Migrants in Three Regions]()
Among the evidence seized were blank municipal ‘padrón’ certificates, doctored company payrolls and falsified social-security registrations.
The suspects face charges of document forgery and facilitating irregular immigration—offences that carry prison sentences of up to eight years. Investigators are analysing computer hard drives to identify additional beneficiaries; 15 migrants who used the service are already under investigation and may see their files annulled.
For HR and mobility managers, the case is a warning to verify supporting documents—especially employment contracts and proof of residence—before sponsoring workers. Lawyers predict a spike in compliance audits as Foreigners’ Offices try to weed out forged files ahead of the April application window.
The operation demonstrates the government’s zero-tolerance stance on fraud surrounding the mass regularisation, a process that, if mismanaged, could erode public and EU confidence in Spain’s immigration system.
Police say the network’s modus operandi was simple but lucrative: an intermediary recruited clients, two ‘gestoras’ in Huelva assembled counterfeit paperwork and then filed the dossiers at Foreigners’ Offices in Cádiz and Seville. At least 20 fraudulent applications were traced, generating close to €30,000 in illegal profits.
At a time when immigration paperwork is under increasing scrutiny, applicants can safeguard themselves by using established service providers such as VisaHQ. Through its Spain-focused platform (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), VisaHQ offers detailed guidance on visa and residence procedures, verifies the authenticity of supporting documents and tracks submissions in real time—helping clients stay compliant and avoid the pitfalls highlighted by this investigation.
Among the evidence seized were blank municipal ‘padrón’ certificates, doctored company payrolls and falsified social-security registrations.
The suspects face charges of document forgery and facilitating irregular immigration—offences that carry prison sentences of up to eight years. Investigators are analysing computer hard drives to identify additional beneficiaries; 15 migrants who used the service are already under investigation and may see their files annulled.
For HR and mobility managers, the case is a warning to verify supporting documents—especially employment contracts and proof of residence—before sponsoring workers. Lawyers predict a spike in compliance audits as Foreigners’ Offices try to weed out forged files ahead of the April application window.
The operation demonstrates the government’s zero-tolerance stance on fraud surrounding the mass regularisation, a process that, if mismanaged, could erode public and EU confidence in Spain’s immigration system.
