Hiring refugees - Migrations

The Directorate-General for Humanitarian Assistance and the Reception System for International Protection continuously carries out training and employment activities with the aim of ensuring the integration of refugees into the labour market.

Within the framework of the management of the international protection reception system, the employment support programme is based on the development of individualized accompaniment itineraries, designed and managed by professionals from the network of centres and specialized entities. These pathways include cross-cutting measures aimed at language learning, the development of basic skills, access to training opportunities and entry into the labour market.

In addition, in recent years, the DGAHSAPI has promoted various initiatives in collaboration with entities and companies in the private sector to promote the labor inclusion of this group.

In this sense, leading companies in sectors such as wholesale trade, logistics and e-commerce, hospitality and tourism, not forgetting the agri-food sector, have become key partners in the implementation of job insertion projects.

The projects developed, depending on the agreements with each of the companies, include different strategic components, among them:

• Identification and selection of talent, through the creation of candidate registers and specific selection processes
• Pre-work training, adapted to the needs of the sector
• Facilitation of access to housing and support for mobility, to ensure effective integration.

Quarterly, an employment bulletin is prepared, which includes the specific actions carried out during that period and gives visibility to the milestones achieved.

• Bulletin of June 2025

In order to guarantee training and employment activities aimed at ensuring the integration of refugees into the labour market, the DGAHSAPI, in collaboration with UNHCR, is preparing a recruitment guide. The purpose is to serve as a practical, accessible and up-to-date tool for companies in Spain interested in hiring refugees, asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection.

It aims to provide a clear explanation and step-by-step guidance on the applicable legal framework, the necessary administrative procedures and the most effective strategies to promote inclusive and successful contracting.

The recipients of the Reception System are authorized to work according to the administrative situation in which they are:

• Persons seeking international protection are authorized to work within 6 months of the filing of the application. The status of person requesting international protection is evidenced by one of the following documents issued by the Ministry of the Interior/National Police Force, which specifies the authorization to work and its deadlines:

Proof of submission of an application for international protection (so-called white document).

Document accrediting the status of applicant in the process of international protection (called red card).

• Persons benefiting from international protection (refugee status or subsidiary protection) are authorized to work from the time of the concession. The status of beneficiary of international protection is accredited through your alien identification card (TIE), where the authorization to work is specified.

  

• Persons benefiting from temporary protection under Directive 2001/55/EC, such as those displaced by the conflict in Ukraine, are authorised to work for the duration of temporary protection (one year renewable up to three years). The status of beneficiaries of temporary protection is accredited through the receipt of application for temporary protection for displaced persons, where the authorization to work is specified.

In all cases, the authorization to work has no restrictions in terms of geographical scope or sector of activity.