Venezuelans form one of the main immigrant groups in Spain, which is also the European country to which most Venezuelans choose to migrate because of shared language, customs and family ties. Similarly to nationals from other countries of Ibero-America, Venezuelans of origin are allowed to apply for dual Spanish citizenship after two years of legal residence in Spain. In addition, Venezuelans who are children or grandchildren of Spanish citizens can legally obtain Spanish citizenship from their countries of origin, an option open to over 3 million Venezuelans.[3]

History

As a former part of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and a major destination of Spanish emigration up until the second half of the 20th century, Venezuela shares strong ties with Spain.

After Hugo Chávez came to power following the 1998 Venezuelan presidential election many upper-class Venezuelans decided to leave the country, a movement that intensified with the failure of the 2002 coup against President Chávez. Some estimated 100,000 Venezuelans settled in Madrid, assimilating well into Spanish society due to common Hispanic ethnicity and family ties.[4]

Venezuelan-born population in Spain (including dual nationals)

Vertical bar chart of Venezuelan-born population in Spain between 2000 and 2019
  Population (1998-2019) Venezuelan-born population in Spain of Spanish and/or Venezuelan nationality according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.[5]

Notable people

Further information: Category:Spanish people of Venezuelan descent

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Estadística del Padrón Continuo. Datos provisionales a 1 de enero de 2021. Población por comunidades y provincias, país de nacimiento, edad (grupos quinquenales) y sexo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Estadística del Padrón Continuo. Datos provisionales a 1 de enero de 2021. Población extranjera por comunidades y provincias, nacionalidad y sexo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística. 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  3. ^ El Mundo. "Se reducen 54% permisos de trabajo a venezolanos en España" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  4. ^ Journal, Giovanni Legorano | Photographs by Maysun for The Wall Street (September 18, 2019). "'A Latin American Brother-Country': Venezuelans Seek Refuge in Spain" – via www.wsj.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Población extranjera por Nacionalidad, comunidades, Sexo y Año". Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Retrieved 2019-04-05.