New Schengen rule leads to 10% rejection of seasonal worker permit applications

Immigration authorities have rejected 10% of seasonal worker permit applications submitted since the entry/exit Schengen requirement was introduced, government spokesperson Guillem Casal said. The change, applied from 29 October, requires applicants to demonstrate they have not exceeded permitted stays in the Schengen area.

Of roughly 5,000 permits available for the season, about 40% — roughly 2,000 — had been requested by this week. Ten percent of those requests were refused for not meeting the Schengen-stay criteria, leaving about 1,800 accepted applications and roughly 3,200 permits still available.

Casal said the rejection rate has fallen since the rule change: it stood at about 25% at the end of October, fell to roughly 16% last week and is now at 10%.

The government maintains that the new entry/exit requirements are not currently a limitation on hiring, though other factors may affect application levels. By the same date in 2024, 45% of the seasonal quota had already been requested.

Casal also noted a slight increase in hiring of EU workers in some sectors, a trend he described as similar to last year: it can be easier to recruit locally for certain roles, while other sectors have seen declines.

Inspections of hotels and informal lodgings (pensions pastera) began last week and are ongoing; authorities will present a summary once the controls are completed.