Spanish government moves to regularise half a million undocumented migrants

Migration Minister Elma Saiz said those who benefit from the measure will be allowed to work “in any sector and in any part of the country,” highlighting what she described as “the positive impact” of migration on Spain, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
“We are talking about estimates, and the figure will probably be around half a million people, more or less,” Saiz said.
Speaking at a press conference following the weekly cabinet meeting, Saiz added that the government is “strengthening a migration model based on human rights, integration and coexistence, one that is compatible with economic growth and social cohesion.”
The measure will apply to people who have been living in Spain for at least five months and who applied for international protection before December 31, 2025. Applicants must not have a criminal record, and the regularisation will also extend to their children who are already living in Spain.
The application window is expected to open in April and run until the end of June. The plan will be implemented through a government decree, meaning it will not require parliamentary approval, where the Socialist-led coalition does not hold a majority.
Opposition parties on the right and far right strongly criticised the move, arguing that it would encourage further irregular migration. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative Popular Party, wrote on X that the “absurd” plan would “overwhelm our public services.”
“In Socialist Spain, illegality is rewarded,” he said, pledging to overhaul migration policy “from top to bottom” if he came to power.
The proposal was welcomed by several organisations, including the Spanish Catholic Church, which described it as “an act of social justice and recognition.”
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has repeatedly argued that Spain relies on migration to address labour shortages and to offset the effects of an ageing population that could threaten the sustainability of pensions and the welfare system. Sánchez has said that migration has accounted for 80 percent of Spain’s strong economic growth over the past six years.
Official figures released on Tuesday showed that of the 76,200 people who boosted employment in the final quarter of last year, 52,500 were foreign nationals. These gains contributed to Spain recording its lowest unemployment rate since 2008.
Spain’s relatively open migration stance stands in contrast to a broader European trend, as many governments have tightened policies under pressure from far-right parties that have made electoral gains across the European Union.
According to the Funcas think tank, around 840,000 undocumented migrants were living in Spain at the start of January 2025, most of them from Latin America. Spain is also one of the main entry points into Europe for people fleeing poverty, conflict and persecution, with tens of thousands — mainly from sub-Saharan Africa — arriving in the Canary Islands off the northwestern coast of Africa.
Latest data from the National Statistics Institute show that more than seven million foreign nationals live in Spain, out of a total population of 49.4 million.