Barcelona’s municipal support system for newcomers is undergoing a chaotic transformation. The Service for Immigrants, Emigrants and Refugees (SAIER Barcelona), a critical hub for foreign nationals arriving in the city, has seen its operations disrupted following a shift in how the City Council manages its contracts. This administrative shake-up has led to the departure of historic management entities. Meanwhile, Spain prepares for a massive immigrant regularization process.
A Shift to Public Tenders for SAIER Barcelona
For decades, SAIER Barcelona operated through direct cooperation agreements with specialised social entities. However, the Barcelona City Council recently overhauled this model. Consequently, it moved from partnership agreements to competitive public tenders for most services in 2025. The transition has proven turbulent; long-standing partners claim the new financial conditions are unsustainable. Therefore, several tenders ended without any bids.
Your browser does not support the video tag.Home » SAIER Barcelona: Immigration Services Disrupted Amid Management Crisis
Three major organisations are exiting the service as a result:
- ABD (Association for Welfare and Development): Previously managed the ‘front office’ or initial reception. They declined to bid for the 2026 contract, citing financial losses in previous years.
- CITE (Information Centre for Foreign Workers): Linked to the CCOO union, they handled immigration law procedures. They submitted a bid above the tender’s budget as a form of protest against the funding caps and subsequently lost.
- AMIC (Mutual Aid Association for Immigrants in Catalonia): Linked to the UGT union, they managed degree homologation. They lost their tender to a new provider, Insercoop.
Conversely, other partners such as ACCEM (refugee asylum), the Red Cross (social care), and the Barcelona Bar Association (legal matters) remain part of the service.
Service Vacuum and Urgent Cases at SAIER Barcelona
The operational impact has been immediate. Since CITE’s agreement expired on 31 December, a significant void has opened in legal consultations. CITE previously attended to approximately 500 people monthly. Throughout January 2026, SAIER Barcelona has been unable to process new standard consultations. In addition, it is limiting its output to urgent cases handled by the entity FICAT.
Municipal sources insist that “all people who have contacted SAIER have received a response.” They note that users are either being redirected to other networks or promised future appointments. However, the inability to schedule new standard appointments threatens to create a significant backlog once normal service resumes.
There is also disagreement regarding the transition. The City Council claims the disruption occurred because CITE rejected a service extension. However, CITE sources deny this, stating they were never offered such an extension.
Looming Regularization Challenge for SAIER Barcelona
The timing of this restructuring is particularly sensitive. The central government of Spain has announced a new regularization programme for undocumented immigrants, scheduled to run from April to June. Mayor Jaume Collboni stated last week that at least 24,000 people in Barcelona could benefit from this measure.
Social entities report that inquiries have already doubled in anticipation of the process. With key management roles at SAIER Barcelona currently in flux, it remains unclear whether the municipal service will play a direct role in processing these applications. Alternatively, the burden may fall entirely on other channels. To fill the gaps left by the deserted tenders, the City Council plans to appoint new managers directly. This move maintains the original tender conditions. Meanwhile, smaller entities fear they will be overwhelmed by the rising tide of consultations, especially considering recent immigration fraud network dismantled in Barcelona.
Join Barcelona English Speakers WhatsApp Community .
