The figures again confirm the facility as a firmly established service and a point of reference for newly arrived people in the city. The service opened its third premises in October, with a new office in C/ Tarragona to be able to handle the growth in demand and the number of users.

There has been a rise in the number of people arriving in the city seeking international protection in recent years. This trend was confirmed in 2019, the service attending to 9,429 people with this profile, a 27% rise compared to 2018.

Many people arrive in the city accompanied by their families. As a result, the number of children and young people attended to as family members has also risen. While 1,821 minors were helped in 2018, that figure grew by 30% to reach 2,359 in 2019.

Spain, the country with the most asylum requests

The profile of people arriving in Barcelona has become more diverse in recent years. This is also the trend in the Spanish state, which for the first time has become the EU country with the highest number of asylum requests, according to data from the European Asylum Support Office.

Profile of newly arrived people

Some 45.7% of SAIER users are seeking international protection and 53% are migrants. Nearly 80% of users are either in irregular administrative situations, are waiting for their papers or are in a situation of supervening irregularity. Only 20% have their papers completely in order.

Among those who approach the SAIER, the most common countries of origin are Venezuela (3,069), Colombia (3,000), Honduras (1,766), Peru (1,393) and Morocco (1,338). The service mainly offers them information and initial reception (48%), social support (30%) and administrative and legal advice in relation to the law on foreigners (12%).

The SAIER

The SAIER is a municipal service offering information and advice on immigration, refuge, emigration and voluntary returns for anybody living in the city. Barcelona City Council and various entities jointly run this specialised free public service.

More information can be found here.