Hi ? As you know, there is a lot of unemployment in Spain, so getting a ?legal paying job? is not something that everyone who wants one gets one, even if they?re entitled to. Depending on your skills, one way to work legally in this country is if you get hired by a US company with offices in Spain. If you are already in Spain, maybe a US consulate has information about that. There are also Spanish job recruitment agencies such as this: http://www.ambientjobs.com/index.php. I assume if you get hired through them, the employer would sponsor your residency. Now, before you can apply for ?la tarjeta de residencia permanente? you need to reside in Spain legally for 5 years without interruption (you may leave the country for less than 6 months a year). You can use a combination of strategies to reside legally for those 5 years, whether you?re actually working under contract through a sponsoring firm or you have a visitor visa and are teaching English under the table or have a student visa and are enrolled in Spanish courses for foreigners. Just make sure that you can document your legal stay in the country. Your boyfriend cannot transmit his residency to you if you marry him but could if he became a citizen. So the first five years, you just have to be legally in the country. Getting a work contract is another story. Where you live in Spain can make a big difference in terms of job opportunities. However, if you have the means to support yourself without working in Spain, you just have to apply for ?residencia temporal no lucrativa? (not-for-profit temporary residency). You can renew that permit and keep adding all periods of legal residence until you have 5 years. Then you?ll be entitled to get your permanent residence and to legal jobs. Good luck!
