The legal profession demands streamlining immigration procedures: 'Digitalization is a threat'

The president of the General Council of the Spanish Bar Association, Salvador González Martín, has called for more coordination between the Administration and the professionals who handle immigration files. The goal, he said, is to speed up regularization processes and so that you can access clear information about your procedures. He did so during the 1st Immigration Congress organized by the Official College of Administrative Managers of Madrid, ICOGAM.

González Martín insisted that it is necessary to strengthen the dialogue between professional associations and the Administration. Lawyers and migrants themselves constantly run into obstacles, and the institutional response does not come. That is why he asked bar associations to make themselves heard, to raise their hand and draw attention to improve communication with administrations. You, who are waiting, know what he is talking about.

One of the most criticized points was the digitalization of procedures. For the president of the Bar Association, the implementation of new technological tools is being done without an adequate plan. So much so that he assured that it has become a threat that has a terrible impact on citizens, generating delays and complications that could be avoided with better organization. So if you are waiting for an appointment or your file takes forever, you know: it's not you, it's the system.

The president of the General Council of Associations of Administrative Managers, Fernando Jesús Santiago Ollero, also lashed out against the Administration. He denounced that they do not listen to the sector's proposals, that critical voices are not of interest. He gave as an example the digital services that they themselves have created, which, according to him, work a thousand times better than any municipal office. And he demanded that they be allowed to serve the public directly, because they are now being pushed aside. "They simply do not want us," he stated. And you, who handle paperwork, may wonder why.

Both leaders agreed that immigration bureaucracy needs a fundamental change. Santiago Ollero asked for more executive capacity in coordination bodies and that officials can access file information without obstacles. He described the current system as "a mess". The warning is clear: while the Administration does not get its act together, delays and confusion will continue to be the daily bread for those who handle paperwork in Spain. So move, because change will not come alone.

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