Benidorm allocates 6,000 euros in aid to reduce the digital divide

On Monday, the Benidorm City Council will approve at its Local Government Board meeting the rules governing the granting of subsidies to associations and non-profit organisations based in the city in the area of ​​caring for migrants. These subsidies will be used to complete online procedures to eliminate gaps caused by the digital divide.

The proposal by the Councillor for Social Welfare, Ángela Zaragozí, also includes the approval of an expenditure of €6,000 for this aid.

The department has detected that the progressive implementation of online means in the administration has led to a large number of migrants encountering difficulties due to the so-called digital divide, something that in practice can make it impossible to exercise their rights.
Zaragozí explained that this is the second year that the City Council has granted these grants, which arose "from the need to find mechanisms to help them eliminate these digital obstacles and promote their full inclusion."

The rules indicate that the call is open to non-profit associations and entities specialising in serving migrants, legally constituted, operating within the municipality of Benidorm, and accredited to submit applications and immigration documentation online through Sede Mercurio and other sources. "Beneficiary entities must be registered in the Benidorm City Council's Registry of Associations at least six months before the publication of the rules and have a registered office for their activities, open to the public, and with fixed hours," the councillor stated.

Entities may apply for a grant of up to €3,000 per entity, which can be used to cover the costs of the staff responsible for completing the online procedures and subsequent follow-up of the files and providing information to interested parties.

The purpose of the aid line is, according to Ángela Zaragozí, "to offer migrants the possibility of submitting their residency applications in Spain online" on the immigration platform through SEDE MERCURIO and submitting the documents through the ADAE application; as well as "the processing of the application for acquiring Spanish nationality through the SEDE of the Ministry of Justice and its subsequent follow-up; the precise monitoring of the applications online for subsequent notification to the interested party and for carrying out, precisely, any possible corrections; and the continuity of the process of managing the various administrative fees for immigration, fingerprint, or nationality procedures, as established in the terms and conditions of the call."

The deadline for submitting applications will begin the day after the terms and conditions are published in the Official Gazette of the Province and will end 15 calendar days later. Applications and documentation must be submitted online at the City Council's e-office (https://sede.benidorm.org/eAdmin/Sede.do).