Long-term Andorran resident risks expulsion after social-security lapse

A resident who has lived in the country for more than thirty years — seven of them in a partnership with an Andorran woman, whom he married four years ago — faces possible expulsion after six months of unsuccessful attempts to renew his residence and work permit.

The renewal has been repeatedly denied because he has not paid into the national social security fund, CASS, for more than two years. The man says his lack of contributions was not voluntary: his last two jobs ended in court after employers refused to pay him for services rendered. He then travelled to Spain for six months to seek work, where he suffered an accident that left him in a wheelchair. “I’ve been trying to walk again for two and a half years,” he said, a condition that has prevented him from working.

The couple say they have sought help from the head of government and the co-princes. They received only a response from Xavier Espot, who forwarded the case to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the co-princes did not reply.

The resident argues that, despite his recent lack of contributions for medical reasons, his more than twenty years of residence and four years of marriage to an Andorran should justify immediate renewal. “Nowhere is there a law saying that not contributing is incompatible with permit renewal,” he said.

His lawyer contends that the administrative refusal violates article 13.2 of the Constitution, which requires public authorities to promote a policy of family protection, and that this constitutional principle obliges the state to safeguard family unity. “Whether he worked in recent years should be irrelevant,” the lawyer said. “Conditioning his stay on having a job makes no sense when he has a fully valid and legal marital union.”

Facing a lack of administrative solutions, the couple say their last recourse would be judicial action, which they wish to avoid because of the high costs and their mounting medical bills; they are nevertheless prepared to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if necessary. The lawyer expressed hope that the administration will resolve the case without reaching that stage.