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Barcelona, along with the rest of Catalonia and Spain, is experiencing an immigration surge. Foreigners now account for 15.7% of the city's 1.59 million residents. With that comes a pile of legislation, red tape and long queues (that often just lead to longer queues elsewhere). How well you cut through the bureaucracy will depend on your nationality, the duration of your stay, the reasons you want to live here and your proficiency in Spanish. There are different rules for nationals of different countries, and therefore, different document, visa and work permit requirements. Since visas are not issued in Spain, you'll have to coordinate with the Spanish consulate in your country of origin well in advance. Although your own country's consulate or embassy in Spain will play no part in issuing visas and work permits, it's worth checking out their website as they sometimes post useful advice. Keep the faith, and know that the city has set up a number of resources to help you through the process, many of which will be discussed in this section.