Police in Spain have arrested 50 people suspected of running a criminal network that charged Pakistani migrants thousands of euros for fake employment contracts to help them obtain Spanish residency.
The arrests followed a series of raids conducted by Catalonia’s Mossos d’Esquadra police force on October 26 and 27 across Barcelona and several surrounding towns. The suspects include business owners accused of providing fraudulent job contracts to migrants in exchange for large payments.
Police carried out operations in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sant Adrià de Besòs. Further raids took place in Sabadell, Terrassa, Vic, Sant Boi de Llobregat and Sant Vicenç dels Horts.
Investigators said the network had been operating since 2019 and generated an estimated €3.2 million in illegal profits from successful residency applications.
The scheme targeted Pakistani migrants seeking to enter Spain or regularise their immigration status after arriving in the country.
Those applying to travel to Spain were reportedly charged up to €30,000 for a package that included a visa, administrative documents, municipal registration and a fake employment contract intended to support their residency applications.
Migrants already living in Spain without legal status were also targeted. They were reportedly charged up to €8,000 for false employment contracts designed to help them begin the process of regularising their stay.
Investigators identified 12 alleged core members of the criminal network and 62 business owners who reportedly cooperated with the operation. The businesses involved included food shops, restaurants, renovation companies and vehicle repair garages.
Seven alleged ringleaders were arrested, with three placed in pre-trial detention. Police also detained 43 local employers suspected of providing fraudulent job contracts to migrants.
Between March 2022 and July 2023, the network reportedly submitted 224 residency application files to the authorities. Of these, 108 were approved.
The investigation began after police accidentally discovered evidence of the scheme during a raid on a Barcelona administrative agency in February 2024. Officers had initially visited the agency as part of an unrelated investigation into human trafficking but found documents linked to the suspected residency fraud operation.
Mossos d’Esquadra described the case as its most significant investigation so far into a criminal network specialising in fraudulent immigration and residency applications.
The investigation also revealed the risks faced by migrants who paid large sums in the hope of obtaining legal status in Spain. Some reportedly ended up working in poor conditions that investigators described as close to labour exploitation.
In other cases, the employment contracts were entirely fictitious, with the businesses reportedly ending the arrangements once the migrants had obtained residency.
The arrests highlight how criminal networks can exploit migrants seeking legal routes to live and work in Europe. People desperate to regularise their immigration status may become vulnerable to fraudulent employers and intermediaries who demand large payments while offering no genuine employment or secure legal protection.
The investigation has exposed the financial and personal risks associated with fake employment arrangements, particularly for migrants who may lose their savings and remain exposed to immigration difficulties despite paying for supposedly legitimate documents.