HM Government of Gibraltar has announced a new Residence Criteria framework designed to ensure that residency in Gibraltar is based on genuine economic contribution, regulatory compliance and to protect the ability to continue to provide public services in Gibraltar to Gibraltarians.

The new framework will introduce clearer and more transparent criteria for those applying for residence in Gibraltar.

The criteria focus on ensuring that applicants can demonstrate a genuine connection to Gibraltar through employment, business activity, appropriate accommodation, tax and social insurance contributions, and continued compliance with Gibraltar’s laws and regulatory requirements.

The framework will also include safeguards to protect the integrity of the system and ensure that the basis on which residence is granted continues to be met. This will include appropriate checks on applicants and businesses, measures to prevent abuse, and clearer rules around the renewal, lapse, suspension or revocation of residence permits where the relevant conditions are no longer satisfied.

The criteria will also clarify the benefits which arise from residence in Gibraltar, with a focus on access to core services such as healthcare and education for residents and their immediate family members.

At the same time, the new framework will make clear that residence alone does not automatically provide access to wider social benefits or services which are reserved for those who obtain Gibraltarian Status.

The Government will also include related changes to the rules on eligibility for Gibraltarian Status for new residents, reflecting the principle that long-term access to the full range of rights and services in Gibraltar should follow a sustained period of residence and contribution.

The Chief Minister has already consulted the Leader of the Opposition on the proposed framework.

The Minister for Business, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, who has led on this work for the Government, has also consulted the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce and the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses.

The regulations giving effect to the new framework are now being drafted and will shortly be published.

The Minister for Health, Care and Business, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez MP, said:

“This criteria is about fairness: fairness to those who already live here, fairness to those who come here to work hard and contribute properly, fairness to businesses that operate responsibly and comply with the rules, and fairness to future generations.

“As Minister for Business, I want Gibraltar to continue to attract people who bring skills and investment to our economy. This framework keeps Gibraltar open to talent and genuine economic activity, while giving clarity to applicants, employers, businesses and the wider community, and putting sensible safeguards in place to prevent abuse. We need to future-proof our GHA and other public services and this new criteria goes a long way to ensuring that we are able to do so. ”

The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo KC MP, said:

“Gibraltar is open for business. Gibraltar has always been an open for business. With the Treaty now agreed, Gibraltar, in my view, will be one of the most attractive places in Europe from which to do business.  We also became a really attractive place to reside in. We have always welcomed people who come here to work, to build businesses, to invest, to contribute and to make Gibraltar their home. That openness has been central to our success, and it will continue to be central to Gibraltar’s future.

“I have shared these new rules with the Leader of the Opposition because this is an important matter for Gibraltar as a whole. This is not about closing Gibraltar off. It is about ensuring that residence is matched with responsibility, that those who benefit from living here also contribute to Gibraltar, and that we protect our health service, our schools and our wider public services for future generations of Gibraltarians. I do not want Gibraltar to be flooded with people who want to come here now that we have dealt with the problems we had. I want our public services to be excellent for the Gibraltarians and I these new rules will provide that protection.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The full policy document is attached to this Press Release.