Integration report for arraigo in Catalonia (informe d'arrelament)

Which procedures it is for

• Social arraigo, if you do not have close family with residence. This is the route without a spouse, registered partner, mother, father or children with a residence authorisation (art. 127.c). We explain it in social arraigo.
• Socio-training arraigo. Here the report is always required, together with the course (art. 127.d). More in socio-training arraigo.
• Some renewals. If you do not meet a requirement when renewing, your integration effort is assessed with this report (arts. 64.6, 71.4.d, 80.6 and 86.6). More in residence renewal.
• Exceptional extension after the regularisation. If you cannot apply for the change (modificación), a 1-year extension is possible. For it, an integration effort report is accepted instead of an active job search (additional provisions 20 and 21). More in extraordinary arraigo.
• Young people who were in care and reach 18 without a residence authorisation, according to the Generalitat.

Do not confuse it with the housing suitability report (informe de adecuación de la vivienda), which is used mainly for family reunification.

Who issues it

The Regulation says it is issued by the autonomous community (regional government) or, if it so decides, by the town hall (art. 127.c). In Catalonia it is issued by the Generalitat: the Departament de Drets Socials i Inclusió (Department of Social Rights and Inclusion), through the Direcció General de Migracions i Refugi (Directorate-General for Migration and Refuge). It works with the town halls, which receive the application and prepare a proposal.

What it takes into account

According to the Regulation, the report covers, among other factors, how long you have lived at your usual address and your financial means. Also the social, employment and cultural integration programmes you have taken part in (art. 127.c).

The Generalitat also requires:

• Being 16 or over and not having the nationality of an EU (European Union) country.
• Training in values: those of the Spanish Constitution, the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia (Estatut) and the EU. Also human rights, public freedoms, democracy, tolerance and equality between women and men.
• Knowledge of the two official languages, Catalan and Spanish.
• For social and socio-training arraigo: 2 continuous years in Spain, for example with a historical padrón certificate (volante histórico de padrón, from your town hall’s register of residents).

Exemptions. You do not have to prove the training or the languages in these cases:

• You have the ESO (compulsory secondary education), the Bachillerato (upper secondary school) or an intermediate or higher vocational training course.
• You have already had a favourable report.
• You are in a situation of extreme vulnerability that prevents you from doing so.

If you are from a country where Spanish is an official language, you do not have to prove your Spanish.

Steps

1. Register on the padrón in the town where you live and ask for the historical padrón certificate.
2. Gather your certificates: training courses, Catalan and Spanish. In some town halls the certificate from the First Reception Service (Servicio de Primera Acogida) is accepted.
3. Fill in the Generalitat’s application form for the integration effort report.
4. Submit it at your town hall. The Generalitat asks you to do this, preferably, at the town hall where you are registered on the padrón. You can also use another public register. Each town hall has its own channel: in person with an appointment, online or both.
5. Attend the interview if you are asked to. In some town halls it is the usual way to check the requirements. In others, they only hold it if needed, for example for language level.
6. Receive the report. If you chose electronic notification, you have 10 calendar days to open it. If not, they let you know by SMS and you collect it at a Generalitat citizen service office. If you do not collect it, they send it to you by registered post.
7. Submit it with your application to the Immigration Office (Oficina de Extranjería). The Generalitat also sends the report to the Office electronically (art. 127.c).

Time limit and cost

• The legal time limit is 1 month from when you request it (art. 127.c). The Generalitat states a maximum of 30 working days. Neither of the two is a certainty.
• If it does not arrive in time, you can prove your integration by other means. To do so, you must show that it was not issued on time (art. 127.c). Keep the receipt with the date of your request.
• If 30 working days pass with no news, you can ask on the Generalitat’s 012 line.
• Cost. The Generalitat does not charge a fee for this report. Some town halls do charge a municipal fee for their part of the procedure: check with yours.

If the report is unfavourable

For the Generalitat, the report is a procedural step: it cannot be appealed separately. If you disagree with its content, you can challenge the final decision on your application. See the appeal for reconsideration.

What is specific to Barcelona and its province

• In Barcelona city, the City Council manages the reports. Its Information and Arraigo Point (Punto de Información y Arraigo, PIA) answers questions about arraigo and about the report.
• In each town the channel, the interview and the municipal fee are different. We cover five towns in immigration procedures in Barcelona and its province.

Common mistakes

• Submitting it far from your town hall. Your town hall is the one that prepares the proposal. The Generalitat asks you to submit it, preferably, there.
• Not proving the 2 years with a historical certificate or other valid evidence.
• Forgetting one of the two languages. Both Catalan and Spanish are required, unless you are exempt.
• Giving the wrong mobile number or email on the application. That is how they let you know the report is ready.
• Not paying the municipal fee on time where there is one. In L’Hospitalet, for example, paying late carries a surcharge.
• Not keeping the receipt showing the date. You need it if the report takes more than 1 month.

Can we help you with the procedure?

We check whether your case needs the report and which documents you are missing. And we prepare your arraigo application for when you have it. The report is issued by the Generalitat and no one can promise you it will be favourable.

• If you are taking the route without family, see social arraigo.
• If you are going to study or do a training course, see socio-training arraigo.

We work from Barcelona and online: find out about our immigration procedures service in Barcelona.