Bye Bye to the Illegals

[Drax]

The Spanish dream is over as Brits leave Spain to avoid being deported as illegal immigrants
Tears flow for Brits as they head home to avoid being deported as illegals in Spain: Brits this weekend across Spain, leave the country for at least 180 days as they don’t wish to be Spanish residents or have been declined for residency.

What started out to be a dream life in the sun, has turned into a nightmare for thousands of Brits who didn’t wish to be legally registered as a resident in Spain.

By not being legally registered, Brits until now, have gone under the radar when it came to paying Spanish taxes and other contributions, but Brexit has changed that, now they have to be out of Spain by March 31 when they will be deemed as illegal immigrants and deported anyway as their 90-day legal stay ends.

Spain’s police force and authorities are expecting to deport 500 UK citizens within the first week, with targets already earmarked to be picked up and deported home, knowingly to the authorities not having the correct paperwork to remain.

Although a small exodus of Brits has started this week as they head back to Britain to beat the deadline.

One of those, Anthony Cook, tells of a great 7 years in Spain, but now he’s on his way home, he told Global247news: “The Spanish dream is over for me, it’s time to go back to Cardiff, it’s been a blast but the new regulations have made it impossible to stay, I don’t have enough credentials to become a resident, it was so easy before, get your funds in from the UK, do a bit of cash in hand around the likes of Benidorm and bob was your uncle, but that’s all changed now – hey, don’t be fooled thousands of Brits in some guise or other have been doing the same thing, especially in the entertainment industry!

”Anyway, it’s time to head home, the freedom of movement has gone, and I don’t want to end up getting deported and fined,” he said.

Cook though says he knows of any who are going to try and ‘wing it’ and stay, he said ” I know of loads who are going to stay thinking they won’t get caught, I think they will but they have said to me how are they going to check everybody but quite truthfully I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder, if they get away with I will look at it again and come back in 6 months

https://global247news.com/2021/03/26/tears-flow-for-brits-as-they-head-home-to-avoid-being-deported-as-illegals-in-spain/

[Quietman]

Wonderful news, I was fed up of hearing them bragging about how clever they were, living under the radar. 

[Roscoe]

Same here, paying no tax etc.

[frankie]

I was speaking to someone this weekend who has lived here for 10 years.  He has a UK driving licence and recently he has tried 3 times to get it changed to Spanish and also get a residentia.  Each time he tries he's asked for a different piece of paper.  We told him to get an abogada on it as they know the system.  His worry now is the police catching him as Brexit has changed everything.  As a retired police officer he pays his tax in UK but thinks that may have to change as he seems to think Spain will want him to pay it here as a resident....

[Roscoe]

Been here 10 years and now the penny has dropped and he needs to become a legal resident, words fail me.  Why didn't he do this last year?

[frankie]

It seems as though people have different priorities.  I changed my driving licence to Spanish as I'd got the paper one from UK which the Guardia did not like as there was no photo.  As I was being stopped several times in a week (twice  in one day!), I decided to change it.  I got my residencia as my abogada said I needed to (one of the only things she got right!).  Would I have changed them if the Guardia hadn't kept stopping me?  Possibly not!   

[jimmymac]

For years, too many of them have been 'winging' it and getting away with it, quite probably many of them voted for Brexit also.
Well the day of reckoning is nigh, so it will be interesting to know just how many of them remain here in Spain after the end of this month.