The GSD has issued a statement expressing concerns over the new residency rules and their impact on the economy.

A statement from the GSD follows below:

The new residency policy rules are likely to have an adverse effect against British people seeking to relocate to or  invest in Gibraltar while pushing residency for new jobs, job creation itself and spending to Spain. It can hamper  business, growth in the economy and diminish the traditional Britishness of sources of investment or employment. It  is evident that the policy will likely have the most significant impact on British people and other valuable non-EU  sources of labour for key sectors of the economy. It is unlikely for example that Spanish workers would seek to live in  Gibraltar in similar numbers. Traditionally the success of our economy and growth has been dependent on the ability  to develop and diversify business as well as attract inward investment and labour in a less restrained way. 

While it makes sense for there to be some rules and clear criteria there are aspects of the residency rules (such as the  salary minimum of £37,500) that may affect inward investment and job creation in certain sectors of the economy.  That level is not reflective of the average in the private sector or the pay of some key public or private sector jobs  which is below the overall average as is obvious from the Employment Survey 2024. It does not make sense to hamper  growth in areas when our public services are dependent on external labour or tax revenue from a number of successful  pillars of the economy. This has always been driven by the needs of the economy and unless there is very good reason  to prevent that this practice should remain. 

The use of populist language in the past by Government about “freeloaders” has been nothing more than headline seeking vacuous labels which are disrespectful to many people who have contributed to our economy for many years.  Mechanisms that protect our public services while not hindering the expansion and prosperity of the economy can be  achieved. 

Additionally given the absence of information and statistics from the Government it is impossible to be persuaded for  now of the proposed longer eligibility criteria to apply for Gibraltarian status for new applicants. What we have had so  far from Government are unsubstantiated statements but the meeting promised to the Opposition in November 2025  to discuss our concerns on the draft Gibraltarian Status & Immigration Bill has still not taken place.  

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said: “In Government the GSD would seek to ensure that residency policies  operate to legitimately protect our public services and do not diminish the importance of our links to Britain, hamper business growth or give primacy to foreign non-British workers. 

All in all it is obvious that there are issues of concern not properly dealt with in this policy and we are not convinced  that it will be effective and may, in fact, undermine our economy in favour of Spanish workers or push labour to live  in Spain when we clearly have no control of whether Spain will give the requisite permits to non-EU (British) workers.  This just further increases the handle that Spain will have on our economy because more workers will be forced to  reside there or be dependent on obtaining Spanish residence permissions to work here.”