Guaranteed support for 337,000 international expats on Spain’s Costa Blanca

Councils and government bodies in Alicante have joined forces to guarantee support for the province’s 337,000 international expats during the coronavirus crisis.

THE Provincial Council of Alicante is working with local authorities, councils and other government departments to offer assistance to international residents with regards to expiry of visas, the need for accommodation or basic aid among other issues.

Of these expats, the majority are from the UK (67,883) followed by Moroccans (39,335) and Romanians (24,491).

Algeria, Russia and Germany each contribute about 15,000 people, according to the 2018 census.

The council has confirmed it is “maintaining continued communication” with the consuls of the different countries represented “to attend to and give a response, in a coordinated manner, to the concrete needs that these citizens pose in these moments of special difficulty.”

Deputy of International Residents, Juan de Dios Navarro added “to date, no major problems have arisen,” but acknowledged there is some concern among residents as “this is a group with a high percentage of elderly people.”

Navarro said the council is in contact with the mayors across the province to “solve problems that are raised,” for example finding accommodation for several Belgian residents in Benidorm and offering basic aid to Brazilian residents in Torrevieja.

Another issue is visas which, due to confinement, holders have been unable to renew.

Navarro explained “this issue generates a lot of uncertainty among the residents because without the documentation in order they can be sanctioned, so we have tried to respond to it in coordination with the Delegation of the Consell and the Subdelegation of the Government.”

Anybody with concerns or issues is advised to contact their local authority.

Navarro reported that 95 per cent of the tourists who were in Alicante Province when the State of Alarm was decreed have returned to their countries of origin.