Barcelona has consolidated itself as one of the cities with the greatest capacity to attract talent in Europe. In order to contribute to receiving and retaining this international talent, the Barcelona City Council launched the Barcelona Welcome International Desk in November 2021. Two years later, the office has served 2,000 people from 111 different countries.
Consolidated as a tool for attracting and retaining international talent, the organization aims to facilitate the establishment of talent in the Catalan capital, whether they are arriving in Barcelona or are about to do so. In these two years, the office has carried out 6,700 actions, which include providing information on practical aspects of living in Barcelona; streamlining procedures such as registration in the municipal census; and advising on international mobility, immigration, taxation, and social security.
The office targets investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, highly qualified professionals, international teleworkers, and university students. The majority profile of the service user is a person under 40 years old, with university studies and who has been living in Barcelona for less than six months when they contact the service, located in the Mediatic building of 22@.
The office is committed to expanding the organizations that collaborate with the service and opening it to business associations and research organizations within the local ecosystem.Of the people served since it opened its doors two years ago, 60% have been from outside the EU.The ten most common countries of origin, which account for more than 50% of the total, are Italy, United Kingdom, United States, India, France, Germany, Colombia, Russia, Turkey, and Argentina.
Reception of America's Cup teams
Ahead of the celebration of the America's Cup in the coming months, the organization centralizes attention on the members of the competition teams and their families. To this end, the City Council, in collaboration with the Government Delegation in Catalonia, has enabled a fast-track channel for users linked to the sporting event.
In this framework, the service has facilitated more than 650 procedures, related to obtaining identification documents and digital certificates, and registration in the municipal census. In addition, in collaboration with AC Barcelona and the Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation, the office has published a welcome guide for America's Cup participants, with information and resources on living in the city.
After these two years, the office is committed to expanding the organizations that collaborate with the service, in order to include business associations and those in the research field of the local ecosystem. This has been agreed by the promoters of the office, which was promoted by the City Council with Barcelona Global, 22@NetworkBcn, Catalonia Trade&Investment of the Generalitat, the Government Delegation in Catalonia and the Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation, with the aim of continuing to consolidate itself in the reception and retention of international talent in the Catalan capital.
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