A tale of Asylum, Asturias and on wondering if Spain is it…

Andres was a pilot and a nomad for many years. In 2024 he and his wife Emi decided to try to get Spanish residency and chose to do it in a very unusual way.

All about that, about choosing Asturias as a base, and about whether Spain is – long term – the place for them.

Name: Andres Westman
Age: 68
Country of Origin: USA
Number of years living in Spain: 1

Hi Andres! You and your wife (Emi) have just about the most bizarre story on the route you took to get your Spanish residency. I’ll ask you about that soon. But first, can you tell me about you both and explain why you decided to (possibly) make Spain home?

Jajaja. I can laugh about it now, but 6 months ago in a dreary Asturian winter I was ready to pack it in and hit the road.

I spent a career in the airline business and have been to something like 60 countries over the past 35 years. Many years living in Asia; Japan/Korea and South America; Chile/Argentina/Colombia. I met my now wife in Bucaramanga, Colombia a few years ago and after 5 years in-country it was time to move on. Security has become really bad and urban Latin America can grind you down. I’d been to Spain many times and had always wanted to try living in Europe. Emi had recently become an empty nester and had dreamed of traveling. I speak passable Spanish so Spain was the obvious choice.

We did a month-long intro trip in January ‘24 and had a grand time. We decided to take the plunge.

Rooftop in Alicante with views on Santa Bàrbara Castle

You went through an almost impossible route to get residency in Spain. Can you tell us and explain the thinking behind it?

I was aware of the non-lucrative visa program and was prepared to go that route. I had just read about the Venezuelan opposition leader who was granted asylum in Spain – and had the crazy idea that my wife’s history might make for a compelling case. Her ex-husband was a very bad, senior Colombian cop who made it clear that leaving him would lead to repercussions. She feared for her life. Maybe that would be grounds for asylum?

Note for readers: asylum is usually granted to refugees and those under persecution at home. If granted, they are given residency in Spain and access to Spanish public services (health, education), freedom to find employment, and right to bring direct family members. More here.

So, we went to work researching the political asylum process. It is not straightforward nor is there consistent, accurate information readily available. What I did determine is that where you apply does matter. Gijon/Oviedo Asturias offered the quickest interview. So we decided to start there.

We landed on May 26 of last year and she had a meeting within 10 days with the Policia Nacional. We engaged a local attorney to arrange the meeting and accompany Emi to the meeting. More of a formality. At that point, only 12% of applicants were getting approved.

Then, about 6 months ago, the government clamped down on asylum seekers and instead offered a 2-year renewable residency to people with pending asylum applications who had also been in-country for 6 months. We assumed that she would fall into that group. To our complete surprise, she was granted asylum. She was put on a call with a government lawyer in Madrid who outlined the program/process and answered all her questions. Very impressed actually; kind and dignified.

This also now puts us on a different path that will possibly include family reunification for her children and parents should they wish to emigrate. I am included as well. Downside is she can’t leave Spain for 6 more months.

So, here we are 🙂

Rioja wine country. One of our favorite parts of Spain.

You chose Asturias as your base in Spain. How has that gone? What are the pros and cons of living in Asturias?

We have been based in a small town – 1000 population, an hour west of Gijon/Oviedo – the principal cities of Asturias. Winter was a slog, like winter on Vancouver island. Summer is delightful and the green north of Spain is beautiful. Climate is the deal breaker for me. I really love warm weather. I also realized that a pueblo in Spain can be isolating for expats. Maybe outside a major city with good public transportation, but real rural living in Spain is probably a stretch. The other stark reality is that rural Spain, like Italy and Portugal – is literally dying. Young people move to the cities in search of better opportunities and the pueblos wither and die.

So we’ve learned that Asturias, in the long term, isn’t for us.

What are the locals like in Asturias? Have the people been friendly and welcoming? And as a Latina, what has been Emi’s experience with the Spanish?

Emi has been welcomed with open arms and has been treated very well. Colombian women are revered here; considered exotic and beautiful. Asturians are good folks – nothing but good to say about them.

I know you’ve done a lot of travelling around Spain. If not Asturias, where would you consider basing yourself going forward?

Good and timely question as we left Asturias a week ago. I read that Spain will welcome 100 million visitors this year. You really need to pick your spots now. We will spend July/Aug in Logrono/Rioja wine country and Extremadura, from where I am actually writing. After 12,000km driving around Spain we are planning to head to the Med coast in Sept. We love Logrono and Cadiz. The only reason we are considering the Med is that Emi still wants to work and there are more opportunities there.

I, like you, am a nomad at heart. I prefer to get on a plane rather than look for a home base. This is all completely new to my wife, but she loves it.

If not Spain for a home base – perhaps south of France (well west of the Rhone) or somewhere in Italy, like Umbría. Food and wine and sunshine – away from the coast. Or, a base in say, Da Nang and laps around Asia from China to Indo. I’ve even thought about buying a sailboat and mooring it somewhere in the Adriatic.

My advice for anyone considering a move to Spain is to make a couple 90-day trips and try to get off the gringo trail.

From our time in Colombia…Lovely people who pay the price of endless corruption and terrible governance

I notice a few non-Spain destinations above. Overall, what has your experience in Spain been like thus far? Is it what you expected when you came here a couple of years ago? Surprises? Disappointments?

Overall my time in Spain has been disappointing. I spent time here 25-35 years ago and have always enjoyed myself. It has changed significantly. I just spent 5 days in the Valencia area. I felt overwhelmed. Barcelona was a grand city that has been turned into a theme park for the bucket list-meets-Disney crowd.

Really, the only option for us if we were to stay and set up a base would be somewhere like Logrono or Caceres. Both are off the tourist trail. The downsides are lack of airports and high-speed rail.

Going forward, I envision returning to the nomadic life. One of my favorite movies was “The Endless Summer”, a classic 60’s film by Bruce Brown that follows two surfers as they travel around the world in search of the “perfect wave”. That film probably hooked me on the idea of a life of travel.

I remember sitting in “Cafe Juan Valdez” in Bucaramanga two years ago. It was a going away meetup for one of our expat crew. Me, another gringo, an Englishman, a Croat, an Iranian and a Colombian – Emi. All solid good friends. I remember saying that “the only reason we are here together today is because of traveling.” I think it is the most important thing a person can do.

So while I appreciate the option of living in Spain, I’m not sure if it is what the future holds.