The beginning of the end of compulsory prior appointments in Immigration matters

We are sharing with you two important updates that Extranjería (Immigration Office) is implementing in an attempt to resolve the issue that, to this day, remains retrieving an appointment for the TIE fingerprinting. We hope these initiatives prosper and consolidate nationwide.

🧪 Pilot Scheme in the Municipality of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat

As you already know, our team is partly made up of a lawyer who is also our co-founder. Being registered with the Barcelona Bar Association (ICAB), they received an email from this very institution at the beginning of the year. It informed them that the Government Sub-delegation had launched, in mid-January, a pilot scheme in the municipality of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona). 

The pilot scheme consisted of automatically assigning an appointment for fingerprinting within the same granting of the authorisation itself. This means that, instead of having to search for an appointment after receiving a favourable resolution, the person concerned received it automatically. Through the automatic assignment of appointments, the aim is to ensure that people do not have to resort to a system that is, without a doubt, broken and leaves many in vulnerable situations and at risk of defencelessness because they cannot prove their immigration status using the TIE.

⚙️ Implementation of the System in the Province of A Coruña 

We had heard little else about it, though we kept track of it. Recently, we received a notification along the same lines, published by the Immigration Office in A Coruña, stating that starting from mid-June, in the province of A Coruña, resolutions of authorisation grants for stay and/or residence would be issued with an automatic appointment assignment for fingerprinting/TIE, with the exception of resolutions whose granting of authorisation was subject to the issuance of a visa or registration with Social Security.

Below, we explain some details regarding the system implemented in the province of A Coruña: 

⏳ How does the new "virtual queue" work? 

According to the protocol already being applied in other offices, people who obtain their authorisation will automatically enter a "virtual queue". From there, the system will assign them an appointment for a date that will always be after the date on which the authorisation takes effect (and never before the previous TIE expires, if there was one).

Once the appointment is assigned automatically, the person concerned will receive a direct notification: an email and/or an SMS message informing them of the precise day, time, and location of the scheduled appointment. These communications will reach the contact details indicated in the notification section of the application.

❌ What happens if I cannot attend or if I do not receive the appointment?

If for any reason you cannot attend on the assigned date, do not worry! The system gives the option to cancel the appointment. By doing so, you will enter the virtual queue once more, putting you back in first place for the next available free slot. However, remember that bookings cannot be cancelled on the day of the appointment, so you must do it in advance.

Nevertheless, there is a vital detail to keep in mind: if 20 days pass and for any reason you have not received the notification of your automatic appointment, you must request the appointment on your own, as has been managed until now through the electronic headquarters.

🥶 What happens to procedures excluded from the automatic system?

It is key to highlight that not all procedures enter this "virtual queue". The automatic assignment will not apply to those resolutions where the granting of authorisation remains subject to:

• The granting of a visa (such as studies or a family member of a Spanish citizen subject to a visa).

• Registration with Social Security (as occurs in social-labour integration ties or initial family reunifications).

🤔 What should be done in these cases? 

People who find themselves in these excluded scenarios, or those who have not received the automatic message after 20 days, must request the appointment on their own. This process will continue to be carried out exactly as before, by accessing the electronic headquarters via the official link.

📈 A Major Step Forward

Our team greatly applauds this initiative. Without a doubt, we are looking at a fundamental step forward and excellent news for everyone. The odyssey and frustration of obtaining an immigration appointment has been, for too long, a structural problem that should have been solved long ago.

In addition to making life significantly easier and reducing anxiety for applicants, this automation tackles the root of one of the current system's biggest problems: it has the potential to finally end the black market and the abusive buying and selling of appointments.

We are fully confident that both the pilot scheme in L'Hospitalet and the new protocol in A Coruña will be a resounding success. Hopefully, this is the definitive push towards administrative modernisation, and we will see this system implemented in all offices across the national territory as soon as possible.