More than 700 unemployed immigrants have asked the Spanish government to help them return to home in the first month of a scheme to encourage jobless foreign workers to leave, the Labour Ministry said today.

The scheme was one of a number of measures introduced by Spain's government to cope with the economic crisis, which has left almost three million people unemployed, almost 13 percent and by far the highest rate in the European Union, according to EU figures.

Under the scheme launched in September, immigrants who are out of work and who want to return to their home countries can apply to receive their unemployment benefit entitlement in a single payment.

The Labour Ministry said a total of 767 foreign workers have applied for financial aid to return home in the first month of the scheme. It said that 300 applications have already been accepted and that 200 of them have received payments.

Ecuadorians were the largest group to take up the scheme, making 318 applications, followed by Colombians (129) and Argentines (105), the ministry said.

The Labour Ministry estimates that around 100,000 foreigners who are unemployed could be eligible for the payments.

In Spain, there are about 5 million foreign residents officially registered at townh alls, including more than 700,000 Rumanians, almost 650,000 Moroccans and more than 400,000 Ecuadorians.

A high number of those losing their jobs are foreigners who came to work in Spain at the height of its housing boom.