200 Peruvian Workers Flee Andorra Over EU Entry/Exit Fears

At least 200 Peruvian workers have left Andorra in recent months amid uncertainty over Spain's Entry/Exit system, due to launch in April, though Andorran officials now say the Principat has negotiated an agreement with the EU to shield its borders from direct impacts.

Lorenzo Castillo, president of the Peruanos en Andorra association, said the departures occurred during peak work season, with many returning to Peru or heading to Spain without assured administrative status. The system requires exiting the Schengen Area to reset 90-day stays, affecting both those renewing permits and others with valid ones, as well as some in irregular situations who chose to leave rather than remain in limbo. "A large part of the Peruvian community was leaving Andorra, especially to their home country, because of the Entry/Exit situation," Castillo said. While some stayed and continued working, others departed due to lacking legal certainty. He expressed hope that the changes could lead to improved oversight.

Castillo views direct hiring from Peru as a viable option but warns of past pitfalls, particularly in construction, where unmonitored contracts from remote areas left workers without support. "The real problem is how contracts are monitored and which firms can issue them," he said, calling for joint efforts between Andorran and Peruvian authorities. He noted Peru's embassy in Madrid had previously committed to vetting such deals through relevant ministries.

Contact with Peru's honorary consul in Andorra, Jaume Tàpies, ended in October after an in-person meeting in June or July and phone discussions through September. Castillo remains open to collaboration—"We're ready to sit down and work together if there's mutual will"—but the association will continue independently to defend its members.

Tàpies, one year in the role, described the plight of irregularly statused Peruvian families unable to reunite with children as grave, with some leaving over the past year. He pushes for stronger on-site hiring from Peru to curb illegal family reunifications, labor abuses, and misinformation on Andorran conditions. Upon taking office, he inherited a judicial probe into worker mistreatment and has since connected with the hotel employers' group, Chamber of Commerce, and Peruvian recruitment agencies for upfront job clarity. He is also working with Andorra's Immigration Department to send family details back to Peru, especially in sensitive cases involving minors brought without permits.

Addressing broader immigration, Interior and Justice Minister Ester Molné revealed that Immigration approved 1,125 of 1,290 family reunification requests last year, or nine in ten. She attributed the high rate to applicants knowing requirements upfront, while noting illegal immigration persists but is actively combated by police. Molné denied rising expulsions, explaining many departures stem from failing reunification or extension criteria rather than formal orders. On Entry/Exit, she confirmed ongoing talks this month should finalize an EU deal exempting Andorran borders from systematic biometric checks on non-EU citizens, avoiding potential chaos. In exchange, Andorra will run extra Schengen database security checks before final permits, issuing provisional ones in the interim.