Lleida, Catalonia, is seeing about 1,200 new workers a week enter the local labour market through an extraordinary migrant regularisation process, according to the central government’s Sub-delegation in Lleida.
Social Security offices in Lleida city and Balaguer are issuing around 250 Social Security User Numbers, or NUSS, each day from Monday to Friday. These are for migrants living in the Ponent region who have received provisional residency and work authorisation after their regularisation applications were accepted for processing.
A NUSS allows people to sign employment contracts or register as self-employed. It is a temporary step while a final decision is made on whether their status is confirmed or withdrawn.
The Sub-delegation said the workload is being handled normally. Social Security has reorganised its internal teams and routine tasks to cope with the demand. The process is also showing more potential regularisable residents than first expected.
Initial forecasts put the number of regularisable residents in Lleida at about 7,500. But current figures point to a higher total, with 80 daily in-person appointments for regularisation applications being overtaken by 250 daily requests for NUSS documents. More than 3,600 document requests in Lleida city alone have already exceeded the original estimate.
José Crespín, the State Government’s Sub-delegate, said: “Behind every administrative procedure there is a person who wants to work, develop their life project, and contribute to our society.” For more on local coverage, see our news page.