Spain starts program to legalize up to half-million migrants

Spain Launches Initiative to Grant Legal Status to 500,000 Undocumented Residents

Spain has launched a new initiative to grant legal status to up to 500,000 undocumented migrants, marking a shift from the anti-immigration policies prevalent in the U.S. and much of Europe. The program, introduced in January, seeks to address labor exploitation within Spain’s informal economy.

The country’s central bank and the United Nations have noted that the nation requires approximately 300,000 migrant workers annually to maintain its welfare system. On Monday, hundreds of migrants queued at migration offices to apply for legal residency, while others gathered outside city council buildings for vulnerability certificates. In Almería, a city on Spain’s southeastern coast, the line was so long that police had to turn some applicants away.

“I arrived at 6:30 a.m. There were already a lot of people. I’ll have to get up earlier,” Colombian migrant Enrique Solana told Reuters after an officer confirmed officials would not assist everyone that day.

Spanish Migration Minister Elma Saiz emphasized that applicants must visit assigned offices by appointment, with certain cases requiring a vulnerability certificate. She addressed concerns about job competition, stating, “Regularization is not competition. It is social justice and visibility. It is giving opportunities,” as she shared on X.

Saiz highlighted that the policy strengthens a migration framework centered on human rights, integration, coexistence, and economic growth. She added that the measure is necessary to reflect the reality of migrants living on Spain’s streets and will support the country’s economic stability.

Foreigners arriving in Spain before Dec. 31, 2025, and proving at least five months of residency will receive legal status for up to one year and work permits valid across all sectors. A criminal record-free status is also required. Applications are open from April to June 30.

Spain has implemented large-scale regularization programs on at least six occasions since the 1980s, including under Felipe González’s socialist administration in 1986 and during José María Aznar’s leadership in 1996 and 2001. Over 524,000 people obtained legal papers in those years, with more than 576,000 applications processed under José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero’s government nearly 21 years ago.

The program’s rollout follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent critique of Europe’s immigration policies. At the UN General Assembly in September, Trump called Europe “in serious trouble” and “invaded by a force of illegal aliens.” During a January speech in Davos, Switzerland, he claimed certain European regions are “not even recognizable” and “not heading in the right direction.”

Funcas, an analysis center linked to the Spanish Confederation of Savings Banks (CECA), estimates 840,000 undocumented migrants were in Spain at the start of 2025. Of these, 760,000 are from Latin America, with 290,000 from Colombia, 110,000 from Peru, and 90,000 from Honduras. While the current policy benefits around 500,000 individuals, it covers only a fraction of the total undocumented population.