US EditionSpain’s Mass Regularisation for 500,000 Undocumented Migrants Is Not Extreme, Unprecedented or Opportunistic
The Spanish decree grants temporary residence permits to undocumented migrants, enabling work and social rights but not permanent status or broad voting rights, benefiting around 500,000 people.
- Last week, Podemos and the Socialist Party agreed to regularise around 500,000 people, and the Spanish cabinet approved a decree in January 2026 allowing temporary residence permits with work rights.
- The plan revives a citizen-led initiative backed by more than 700,000 signatures; Congress of Deputies considered it in April 2024 with a 310–33 vote amid parliamentary stalemate, prompting a royal decree.
- Applicants who meet the criteria must prove at least five months' continuous residence before 31 December 2025, have no criminal record, and receive a one-year initial residency permit; underage children get five-year permits.
- Irene Montero's Zaragoza remarks linking migrant votes to reducing `fachas` intensified criticism, with PP and Vox accusing electoral motives; Sánchez defended it as humanitarian.
- With implementation due to begin in April, focus shifts to administration and potential legal reform as Funcas estimates the undocumented population could reach 840,000.
13 Articles
13 Articles
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said on Tuesday that "no country should...
Can unregistered Brits in Spain get residency under new regularisation?
The Local has spoken to two lawyers to find out if the new decree promising to give the legal right to work and reside in Spain to 500,000 undocumented migrants could apply to 'under-the-radar' Brits in Spain who never registered as residents.
The government announced the week a mass regularization of immigrants. Minister Elma Saiz explained that the estimates indicate that some 500,000 people will benefit from this measure. This arises from an agreement with Podemos and, as ABC pointed out at the time, "backed by more than 700,000 signatures and whose consideration was supported by a large parliamentary majority." The deadline for these people to regularize their situation will be be…
Last week, all the spotlights of the political scene were placed on Podemos. The purples announced last Monday an agreement with the government to launch the process of regularization of undocumented immigrants to which the PSOE had been running for more than a year, and on Tuesday the Council of Ministers took the first step to make that measure a reality in the coming weeks. One of the protagonists of the pact has been the MEP and former minis…
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