The Madrid Bar Association (ICAM) issued a stinging rebuke on 13 April against a new information campaign by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration that, it says, implies migrants can "do without specialised legal counsel" when applying for residence or regularisation. ICAM argues that the timing could not be worse: hundreds of thousands of people are preparing to lodge applications under Spain’s forthcoming mass regularisation. Removing lawyers from official guidance, the association warns, risks incomplete or erroneous filings that could jeopardise applicants’ future renewals or lead to exploitation by unqualified advisers.
![Madrid Bar Association Slams Government Campaign that Sidelines Immigration Lawyers]()
Individuals and corporate mobility teams seeking an extra layer of clarity can also turn to VisaHQ, an online visa and immigration facilitation service that provides up-to-date checklists, document reviews and application tracking for Spain (https://www.visahq.com/spain/). While not a substitute for legal representation, the platform can complement counsel by streamlining paperwork and flagging common errors, helping applicants submit more robust files from the outset.
The dispute revives tensions that surfaced last autumn, when a similar ministry video was pulled after bar associations complained it demeaned the profession. This time, ICAM has sent a formal letter to Minister Elma Saiz demanding the immediate withdrawal or redrafting of the materials. For employers that rely on external counsel for work-permit and assignment cases, the row highlights the value of accredited legal advice amid rapidly changing rules. Mobility managers should ensure that any internal FAQs or employee memos reference qualified lawyers and not simply "collaborating entities" cited in the ministry’s brochures. If the ministry proceeds without changes, bar associations hint at possible court action on grounds of professional denigration. That could delay publication of official regularisation guidance and, in turn, the opening of online filing portals—an operational risk for HR teams eager to transition shadow-payroll workers into formal contracts.
Individuals and corporate mobility teams seeking an extra layer of clarity can also turn to VisaHQ, an online visa and immigration facilitation service that provides up-to-date checklists, document reviews and application tracking for Spain (https://www.visahq.com/spain/). While not a substitute for legal representation, the platform can complement counsel by streamlining paperwork and flagging common errors, helping applicants submit more robust files from the outset.
The dispute revives tensions that surfaced last autumn, when a similar ministry video was pulled after bar associations complained it demeaned the profession. This time, ICAM has sent a formal letter to Minister Elma Saiz demanding the immediate withdrawal or redrafting of the materials. For employers that rely on external counsel for work-permit and assignment cases, the row highlights the value of accredited legal advice amid rapidly changing rules. Mobility managers should ensure that any internal FAQs or employee memos reference qualified lawyers and not simply "collaborating entities" cited in the ministry’s brochures. If the ministry proceeds without changes, bar associations hint at possible court action on grounds of professional denigration. That could delay publication of official regularisation guidance and, in turn, the opening of online filing portals—an operational risk for HR teams eager to transition shadow-payroll workers into formal contracts.
