The Diplomat
Next February 10, the Agreement between Spain and Argentina will enter into force, creating a mobility program for young people “so that they can appreciate the culture and daily way of life of the other country and thus promote mutual understanding between the two nations”.
The objective of the agreement, published yesterday in the Official State Gazette (BOE), is “to create the necessary conditions for young people from the Kingdom of Spain or the Argentine Republic to travel to the Kingdom of Spain or the Argentine Republic for an extended period of time and carry out occasional employment or volunteer activities in the other country to perfect their professional training and improve their knowledge of the culture and society of the host country”.
The program is aimed at university graduates between the ages of 18 and 35 or who have completed at least two years of higher education. Young people must have sufficient funds to support themselves in the host country, be in possession of a return ticket or demonstrate sufficient resources to purchase one, and have valid medical insurance for the duration of their stay.
In addition, a special system is established for the granting of visas and for the entry and stay of young people from each party in the territory of the other party. Specifically, the maximum number of special visas of this type will be 500 per year. Participation in the program does not create any rights with regard to possible subsequent applications for residence authorization and implies the unavoidable commitment of the participant to return to his/her country at the end of the period of stay for which he/she has been authorized.
The Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Youth Mobility Program was signed on February 23, 2017 in Madrid during the State visit of the then President of Argentina, Mauricio Macri. Initially, the aim was that an agreement for the implementation of the program would be signed during the visit to Argentina of the then Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, in April 2018, but it was not possible to get the approval of the Council of Ministers in time.
Therefore, the agreement was signed ad referendum in Buenos Aires, on the same dates, by the then Foreign Ministers of Spain and Argentina, Alfonso Dastis and Jorge Faurie. The Council of Ministers approved the signing of the agreement and its referral to the Spanish Parliament on August 31, 2018, but the successive electoral calls in 2019 and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 prevented parliamentary authorization, which, for that reason, had to be requested again in June 2022. The text was finally authorized by the two Chambers at the end of December last year.
