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VISAS

Spain and New Zealand to increase number of working holiday visas

The governments of Spain and New Zealand have announced plans to bolster the working holiday visa schemes between the two countries, meaning that more young people will now be able to apply.

Published: 30 June 2022 09:02 CEST
Spain and New Zealand to increase number of working holiday visas
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden announced the expansion of the Working Holiday or Youth Mobility Scheme after their meeting in Madrid held on Tuesday, ahead of the NATO Summit.

The increase means that 2,000 Spaniards and the same number of Kiwis will now be able to benefit from the scheme. This is 10 times more than the 200 visas currently available for each country. 

Those aged between 18 and 30 are eligible for the visa, which allows New Zealanders to come to Spain for one year to work for up to six months and travel or study and train for the other six months.

The only caveats are that you can’t accept a permanent job or work for the same employer for more than three months and you must prove that you have sufficient savings to live on. You are also not allowed to apply if you have any dependent children.

The same conditions apply to young Spaniards wanting to work and travel in New Zealand. 

The application process for 2022 is currently closed but will open again in 2023, with the increased number of visas available for each country.

“I am delighted to announce a boost to our Working Holiday Scheme with Spain. These schemes create opportunities for young New Zealanders to develop their skills and work experience while travelling and living in Spain,” Ardern said in a statement after the meeting.

“These changes reflect the strength of the relationship between Spain and New Zealand,” she added.

During their meeting, Sánchez and Arden also agreed on the need for a Free Trade Agreement between New Zealand and the EU, creating opportunities for both New Zealand and Spanish businesses, as well as a plan to work together on a new seabird conservation project.

Other subjects discussed by the two leaders included a Global Values Partnership, committing to work closely on areas to strengthen democracy, sustainability, human rights and the rule of law, as well as Russia and the war in Ukraine.

Sánchez said that the partnership will serve to “build more inclusive societies, greener economies and more resilient democracies”.

“Meeting with President Sánchez was a chance to reaffirm our countries’ commitment to working together, and alongside others, to maintain international peace and security, and the rules-based order. It is fitting that our meeting took place in the lead-up to the NATO Summit,” Ardern said.

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TOURISM

Protesters threaten Mallorca airport ‘blockade’ ahead of another tourism demo in Spain

Activists on the Spanish island of Mallorca have warned of plans to 'collapse' Palma airport ahead of mass protests against overtourism scheduled across the Balearics in the upcoming days.

Published: 23 May 2024 09:14 CEST
Protesters threaten Mallorca airport 'blockade' ahead of another tourism demo in Spain

The Mallorcan activist group Menys Turisme, més vida, meaning ‘Less tourism, more life’ has threatened it would cause the “collapse” of the airport, during a recent meeting of protestors to gather ideas for concrete actions against overtourism on the island.

More than 300 people attended the meeting, where the most popular solution according to reports by local daily Ultima Hora was to create a blockade at Son Sant Joan Airport, just outside the capital of Palma, and the main entry point for visitors to the Balearics.

Members were warned of the dangers involved in such a demonstration and the legal consequences involved, so protestors have also proposed the creation of a resistance fund to pay for any possible fines.

Limiting the availability of rental cars, regulating access to housing, uniting unions and appropriating public spaces, were other actions that were proposed during the debate.

PP spokesperson in the Balearic Parliament Sebastiá Sagreras told local daily Diario de Mallorca that his right-wing party was against the blockade as “it would end up affecting people who aren’t at fault such as residents and tourists”, and that the Socialist party in the Balearics were responsible for not doing enough to stem the rise in illegal tourist apartments in recent years.

At the end of the assembly, the organisers also announced that a “massive” demonstration would be planned, although no further date was set.

This comes on the back several more anti-tourism demonstrations which are due to take place across the Balearic Islands over the next week.

On Saturday May 25th, the largest protest will take place at 7pm in Plaza de España in Palma, under the motto ‘Mallorca is not for sale’.

Menorcans will also be demonstrating on the same day and time at Plaza de la Constitución in Alaior to protest housing prices, in a rally orchestrated by ‘Menorca per un Habitatge Digne’ (‘Menorca for a Decent Home’).

Another rally against overcrowding in Menorca is scheduled for June 8th in the Plaza de la Biosfera in Mahón.

READ ALSO: Spain’s Balearics struggle to fill job vacancies due to exorbitant rents    

Ibiza, which has suffered the most from uncontrolled tourism, will also be holding its own event at the Insular Council headquarters on Friday, May 24th at 8pm, under the slogan ‘Eivissa can’t take it anymore’.

READ ALSO – ‘Ibiza can’t take it anymore’: Spanish island plans mass tourism protest

Islanders are protesting against overcrowding, the high prices derived from tourism and the environmental impact.

The idea came after several calls were made online to “imitate the protests that took place in the Canaries” in April, with many locals saying that the issues that Ibiza faces, as an island that welcomes the rich and famous, are even worse than those of the Atlantic Archipelago. 

The Balearic Islands received record numbers of visitors in 2023, with 17.8 million in total, and added to the fact that its population has also grown by 33.5 percent since 2001, it puts a strain on the management of its energy resources and its water consumption and housing, which continues to become more and more expensive.

READ ALSO – REVEALED: The places in Spain where rents have more than doubled in a decade

Tourism accounts for 45 percent of the GDP (€16 billion annually) of the Balearics and employs 200,000 people a year, so while it may be necessary, the sheer number and oversaturation of tourists is not.  

Locals argue that in addition to environmental problems, overtourism causes complications in daily life every year with traffic jams on the roads, fighting in the streets and noise that prevents them from leading a normal life.

It’s not just Spain’s islands that have been having issues with tourists, locals in Málaga on the Costa del Sol are also set to protest in June.

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