The goal of the Barcelona International Welcome Desk is to facilitate the process for international talent to arrive and get set up in the city, enabling people who want to do business, research, work in highly qualified positions or pursue university studies to be able to develop all their professional and personal potential in the city. In its first three years in operation, the service has attended to 3,142 users, providing support on 11,629 occasions for people of 123 nationalities.

The main users of the service are aged under 30 (47%), have university qualifications (95%) and come from outside the EU (58%). Their main reasons for coming to Barcelona are to work in highly qualified positions (29%) and pursue degree or postgraduate courses (28%). The number or research professionals has tripled since 2024, making this the third largest user group for this service.

In terms of the types of service requested, the most common requests relate to information about the city and the main administrative procedures to complete upon arrival, advice on foreigner status and getting onto the municipal register or residents.

Assistance is provided by appointment, in person, at the office in the Mediatic building in the 22@ area, and also online, through videoconferencing.