My (Spanish) NLV Appeal
So, I am going to appeal the 9th June 2025 rejection of my (Spanish) non-lucrative (residence) visa (NLV) application. I expect my appeal to be physically in the Spanish Consulate General in London, England by 7th July 2025.
"After examining the documentation in the file, the applicant states in a letter submitted with the application his intention to seek work in Spain. Therefore, this Consulate General has no guarantee that the applicant will not work in Spain, a circumstance that prevents the processing of a non-lucrative residence visa."
Below is the actual Spanish language paragraph in the visa denial letter that states why the visa has been denied:
"Examinada la documentación obrante en el expediente, el solicitante manifiesta en un escrito presentado con la solicitud, su intención de buscar trabajo en España, con lo que este Consulado General no tiene garantía de que el solicitante, no vaya a ejercer actividad en España, circunstancia que impide la tramitación de un visado de residencia no lucrativa."
Below is the actual paragraph in my Letter of Intent that I submitted as part of the NLV application to which the Consulate General reacts: "the applicant states in a letter submitted with the application his intention to seek work in Spain."
It is in Spanish regulations that any time after the first year of the NLV (successfully completed) that an application can be made (to the Spanish authorities) to change the NLV to a working visa if the NLV holder has a Spanish full-time employment contract, with a compliant employer, and that the salary is Spains national minimum wage (or higher).
I am hoping that this issue is just a case of 'lost in translation'. If it is not, what could it be? Malice? Crime? Other anomaly?
Monday 7th July 2025: My NLV appeal is still not at the Consulate. Why? It has been very difficult and time consuming to put together the appeal. What I have done is sent the five pages of the appeal to a sworn translator approved by the Consulate and I hope to collect them on Wednesday 9th July 2025. I received the NLV denial letter on Saturday 14th June 2025 so I have until Monday 14th July 2025 to ensure my NLV appeal is at the Consulate.
I have over one hundred real friends in this World. They all know people I don't know and have friends I am not friends with etcetera. I wonder if any of these friends of mine can ensure that my NLV appeal is successful? (1) I meet all the criteria for the NLV. (2) I have no intention of working illegally in Spain. (3) The NLV denial letter said I said in a document that I intended to seek work in Spain but I in fact said I might work in year 2 onwards if the visa could be changed - Spanish law does allow this. As previously said, I am dumbfounded. If this is not a 'lost in translation' case then what could it be? Bribery? Malice? Psychopathic? Ego related? Abuse of power? breach of trust? If this is not a 'lost in translation' case then surely it is a criminal matter? And if it is not a 'lost in translation' case then surely the fitness for purpose of those working in the Consulate should be questioned because making the wrong life-changing decision could be a life-destroying decision.
Sunday 13th July 2025: I believe my visa appeal documentation is physically in the Spanish Consulate in London but I am not 100% sure because the Royal Mail tracking does not indicate that it has been delivered but I phoned the Royal Mail and they told me that the package was at a PO Box centre that the Spanish Consulate uses. Will I need to consider escalating this to judicial review in the courts in Madrid? Hopefully within a month from now there will be conclusive news about this visa. Logic says that I will be granted the visa.
Sunday 20th July 2025: No formal update to my Spanish NLV appeal yet except for what I believe has happened from 'keeping my ear to the ground'. I believe the Spanish Consulate is reconsidering my application but that they have not decided yet. That's all.
Thursday 7th August 2025: BAD NEWS. I sent the NLV appeal to the Spanish Consulate in London using Royal Mail 24hr Tracked service. I dispatched it on Thursday 10th July at 0447hrs. It consisted of about 20x A4 sheets of paper in a bubblewrap envelope suitable for holding A4 sheets of paper. I measured the envelope and it seemed to be within the Royal Mail Large Letter dimensions. On Saturday 12th July after seeing the tracking information had not shown it had been delivered I phoned Royal Mail Customer Services and I was told they believed the Spanish Consulate had collected it from a PO Box at the Royal Mail Jubilee Mailing Centre in London. On Sunday 3rd August I read an email from the Spanish Embassy asking me for a receipt for my appeal because I had emailed them requesting an update on my NLV appeal. I had not received a receipt. The bad news is the Royal Mail had not delivered the package containing the NLV appeal (and the Spanish Consulate had not collected it from a PO Box at the Royal Mail Jubilee Mailing Centre in London). Unbeknown to me since Friday 18th July the Royal Mail had been holding the package claiming unsufficient postage had been paid. ? The deadline for my NLV appeal was Monday 14th July. Please bear in mind that I measured the bubblewrap envelope containing my NLV appeal to make sure it was within the Royal Mail Large Letter dimensions (and it was obviously less than 1kg). I paid for a Royal Mail 24hr Tracked service Large Letter. On Monday 4th August I phoned Royal Mail Customer Services and I was told that a computer or piece of machinery might have made an error here (resulting in the package being held). ? I was also told that the previous Royal Mail Customer Service Agent of 12th July was correct to tell me that the package was delivered to a PO Box within the Royal Mail etcetera. ? On 6th August I emailed the Spanish Embassy proving that I dispatched the NLV appeal in such a way that it would reach the Spanish Consulate in London by the deadline and proving that since 18th July the Royal Mail had been holding the package. What now?
Tuesday 19th August 2025: On Wednesday 13th August I received the package containing my Spanish NLV appeal back from the Royal Mail with a sticker on claiming that not enough postage had been paid, and no reason for this was given. I had purchased a Royal Mail 24hr Tracked service label online from the Royal Mail costing £3.60 - this was for a Large Letter weighing up to 1kg. I measured the envelope before sending it and I thought it was okay, would go through the Royal Mail system as a Large Letter. There was no need to weigh it because it contained approximately 15-20 A4 sheets of paper ie obviously much less than 1kg. On Thursday 14th August I took the returned package to the local Post Office and I asked if it could be sent as a Large Letter. A manager took the package and pushed it through the Large Letter slot in the official Post Office perspex letter guide. The package slid back and forth freely through the Large Letter slot, and the manager said yes it could be sent as a Large Letter.
So, now I am considering legal action against the Royal Mail for my financial losses incurred, which are in the region of £2,500 - £4,000.
And the Spanish visa? I believe I will need to apply again, I should know for sure by Saturday 23rd August.
Monday 1st September 2025: I will need to apply for the Spanish NLV again, and I have very recently had a free consultation with an agency that specialises in helping with specific visa applications, and in a few days I will be in another consultation but this time a paid consultation and I will know more at the end of this consultation.
End of BlogPost xxx
