Now jobless, Elhadri can no longer count on state benefits. A few weeks ago he stopped receiving unemployment benefits

Many immigrants choose hardship in Spain over returning home | Europe | Deutsche Welle | 23.10.2010: "34-year-old Moroccan had a much different vision of his future when he risked his life 12 years ago to come to Europe in a boat which he described as 'a little nutshell.'

'There were 25 of us, and the boat was only five or six meters (16-20 feet) long,' he told Deutsche Welle. 'We were practically stacked one on top of the other.'

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Skilled labor positions in Spain have gotten harder to come by
Elhadri said he and his fellow passengers came 'with the illusion that we would find the land of our dreams. But what awaited us was a harsh reality.'

Elhadri arrived at the time of Spain's construction boom and at first had no trouble finding work. He soon received permanent residency status. However, in the wake of the global financial crisis a decade later, many of Spain's construction companies have gone out of business.

Now jobless, Elhadri can no longer count on state benefits. A few weeks ago he stopped receiving unemployment benefits. He currently works on odd jobs, such as helping out friends with renovations."

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