Spain has announced plans to grant legal status to around 500,000 undocumented migrants in the country’s first mass regularisation programme in nearly two decades years.
The socialist-led government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed the move on Tuesday, pushing it through by royal decree and bypassing parliament.
“This is a historic day for our country,” said Elma Saiz, the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.
The decision sets Spain apart from many major European nations, which have moved in recent years towards tighter immigration controls.
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Between 1986 and 2005, successive Spanish governments approved similar schemes, collectively legalising around 500,000 migrants.
The latest regularisation follows an agreement between Mr Sanchez’s Socialist party and the far-left Podemos.
To qualify, migrants must prove they were living in Spain for at least five months before December 31, 2025, and show they have no criminal record.
Successful applicants will be granted one-year residence permits, with the option to renew.
Spain has announced plans to grant legal status to around 500,000 undocumented migrants
|GETTY
Applications will open in April and run until June 30 next year.
Research by Funcas, a Spanish think tank, suggests the number of undocumented migrants has increased eightfold since 2017, reaching roughly 840,000 by early 2025.
Most are believed to come from Latin America, with Colombia, Peru and Honduras accounting for the largest groups.
The Spanish government has framed the policy as an economic necessity, with Spain’s central bank and the United Nations both claiming the country needs around 300,000 migrant workers each year to sustain its welfare system.
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Elma Saiz described it as a 'historic day' for Spain
|GETTY
Ms Saiz said the move was “necessary to respond to a reality that exists on our streets”.
“We are reinforcing a migratory model based on human rights, integration and coexistence, which is compatible with economic growth and social cohesion,” she added.
Mr Sanchez has previously described migration as a source of “wealth, development and prosperity”, pointing to migrants’ contributions to Spain’s social security system.
Opposition parties have furiously hit out at the Spain's coalition government over the move.
Mr Sanchez has previously described migration as a source of 'wealth, development and prosperity'
| GETTYThe People’s Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo warned the regularisation would “increase the pull effect and overwhelm public services”.
Vox Party spokeswoman Pepa Millan said the policy “attacks our identity”.
She confirmed the party would launch a legal challenge at Spain’s Supreme Court in an effort to block it.
Due to the policy has been enacted by royal decree, it does not require parliamentary approval to take effect.
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