Andorra Immigration Hits Record 66 Firm Sanctions for Work Permit Violations in 2025

Andorra's Immigration Department issued 57 sanction resolutions in 2025, up from 43 the previous year, with proposed fines totaling €91,000 following 157 on-site inspections that led to 103 proceedings and 55 penalty proposals. Among these, authorities recorded 66 firm sanctions under Article 141 b) of the Qualified Immigration Law for employing foreign workers in conditions differing from their residence and work permits—an increase from 57 such cases in 2024. One source reported a total of 72 immigration law violations overall, though most reports align on the 66 primary cases tied to business and employment irregularities.

Additional infractions included three under Article 141 f) for failing to notify authorities of foreign employee terminations within legal deadlines, one under Article 141 a) for hiring without authorization, and one under Article 141 d) for not renewing worker permits. The report also noted a single very serious breach of Article 142 a), often associated with undocumented employment or repeat offenses.

This uptick in enforcement coincided with a sharp drop in new residence and work permit applications, which fell to 15,751—the lowest in three years and down 6,373 from 2024—while renewals remained stable at 12,279. Peak activity for initial requests occurred in November (2,524) and December (3,028), linked to winter hiring, with renewals concentrated in May and October. The department rejected 143 initial applications, denied 34 renewals, and annulled or revoked four existing authorizations. It also dismissed 367 applications unfavorably (78 fewer than 2024), cancelled 607 (up 42), and noted 7,393 withdrawals by applicants (up 422), including 1,023 in April alone. Voluntary deregistrations rose to 1,029, the highest in three years and up 6.08% from 2024, mainly during summer.

Public services managed 46,411 in-person appointments (down 2,098), 34,965 emails, and 59,809 phone calls, though large firms handle staff permits directly via dedicated offices. First visits grew to 8,038 users, with 1,843 tuberculosis skin tests (up 11.76%) and 340 chest X-rays (up from prior year). The department issued 2,532 registration certificates, a 32.5% increase from 2024.

As of December 31, 2025, active immigration permits stood at 60,232, up 2.58% or 1,513 from 58,719 the year before, fueled by population growth and renewals despite fewer new arrivals. The executed budget reached €1,147,857.68 for staff, operations, and facility improvements, with 2026 funding requested for service digitization and staff expansion.