Francisco Regusci, a 34-year-old Uruguayan technology entrepreneur married to a citizen with Spanish nationality, was surprised that the procedures to obtain residence authorization in Spain, through the community family card, took so long, twelve months in his case. His personal experience helped him create an online platform to help immigrants obtain documentation in the most agile way possible. “We have specialized in the route of family roots, Spanish nationality by residence and the community family card,” details Regusci in a coworking in Poblenou where he has established his base of operations. His initiative, the Citizens startup, has achieved the support of the Cellnex Bridge mentoring program, which has provided him with support in the technological, legal, marketing and business fields, in addition to an injection of 15,000 euros to give the first Steps. Along with Regusci, there is a lawyer specialized in immigration and a client support collaborator on this project.
Although around 250 people enter the platform every month, only an average of 20 continue with the process, those who are able to formalize all the requirements established in the Immigration Law to apply for the papers. “First we ask them to answer a questionnaire, if they meet the requirements they can enter the platform and download the requested documentation, such as the passport, registration, criminal certificate…, then we review it and send it to the Immigration Office online ”, details Regusci. “We have a 95% percentage of favorable resolutions, the key is to do the initial screening of the applicants well, ensuring that they comply with everything; The average time to obtain approval is about four months. If we don’t get the papers, we return the money,” she adds.
Regusci, who studied International Business, says that in his native Montevideo he co-founded three companies. “The first two did not go well but the third, dedicated to online administrative procedures, worked and we merged with a company from Miami; Then I sold my share and traveled to Spain to create something with a more social aspect. I came with savings, without needing a visa, I am aware that I am a privileged immigrant,” he says.
Shortly after arriving, he got married in Galicia, where his partner’s family is from, and hired the services of a lawyer to begin the process of obtaining a residence permit. “During the process some documents expired, my first request was denied and it took me a year to have the papers; The lawyer did the procedures in person, then I learned that they could be done online, I consider that I did not have good service. And I thought that with my experience as an entrepreneur and knowing about technology I could do it better online,” she adds. This is how Citizens was created, in June 2022.
“I realized that there were many opportunities, if it was difficult for me, that I have resources, what will happen to those who do not have them? I investigated and saw that there was a huge market, Spain issued more than 700,000 Spanish residence and nationality permits in 2022,” she emphasizes.
Although, initially, they also responded to requests to help process residence authorization through social roots, they decided to leave it behind because many of the applicants who used their services did not meet the requirements required by law. If the platform consolidates, perhaps they will take on these profiles again.