A British councillor has been refused Spanish nationality despite being born in Malaga, attending school in Spain and serving as an elected official on the Costa del Sol.
Scott Marshall’s application was rejected because he allegedly failed to demonstrate a ‘sufficient degree of integration into Spanish society’.
Marshall, a Partido Popular councillor in Benahavis, was born in Malaga and has lived on the Costa del Sol all his life. He is married in Spain and both of his children were born and raised in the country.
Despite this, the Ministry of Justice rejected the councillor’s application for Spanish nationality, meaning he cannot yet become a Spanish citizen.
According to the national government, he failed to prove the level of integration required under Spain’s Civil Code.
One of the reasons cited was that Marshall did not provide a Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language (DELE) certificate, which the ministry said meant he had not demonstrated a basic knowledge of Spanish.
The decision also states that he failed to prove his knowledge of Spain’s constitutional, historical and socio-cultural values through the CCSE citizenship test.
Marshall says the decision is ‘absurd’, pointing out that he completed his education in Marbella, speaks Spanish as his first language, works on the Costa del Sol and currently serves as an elected councillor in Benahavis.
Speaking to EFE, he said he was ‘outraged’ by the ruling and has lodged an appeal against the decision.
He also questioned why others were granted Spanish nationality without difficulty while his own application had been rejected despite having been born and living in Spain his entire life.
‘It makes no sense,’ he said, adding that he has been asked to sit a Spanish language exam despite speaking the language daily and having completed his formal education in Spanish schools.
Marshall’s father is Scottish but has held Spanish nationality for the past 25 years.
The councillor said his decision to apply for Spanish citizenship was prompted largely by Brexit and the legal implications of the UK leaving the European Union.
‘I never imagined that, having been born and lived here all my life, I would have problems obtaining Spanish nationality,’ he said.
The Spanish Eye has contacted Marshall for comment.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
This sounds absurd. The Spanish government grants citizenship to many people who simply happen to be in the country, yet a professional who was born, educated, and trained in Spain is denied it. What hope is there for Europe if this is the kind of woke leadership and left-wing policy direction being pursued?