The Spanish migration ministry has registered 13,500 online applications in the first few hours of an extraordinary process to regularize foreign workers. These initial applications, part of a total of 750,000 expected, were submitted through the Mercurio platform, which was created specifically for the process, the "Pais" newspaper reported.
The government believes that these applications will eventually formalize the residence and employment status of half a million migrants. The migration ministry said the procedure had started "successfully and smoothly" in the first few hours, the newspaper writes.
What is the program?
Applications to regularize the status of migrants in Spain will be accepted until June 30. All information about the procedure, as well as the forms to fill in and frequently asked questions, are available on the website of the Ministry of Migration.
The program was announced in January and finalized this month. It offers immigrants without legal status a one-year residence permit, renewable if they have spent five months in the country and have a clean criminal record. They have until the end of June to apply.
There have been questions about the short processing time for information that the Spanish government says could include 500,000 migrants, while Spanish think tank Funcas estimates the number at around 840,000, the Associated Press notes.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the measure an "act of justice and necessity," saying those already living and working in Spain should "do so on equal terms" and pay taxes.
With an aging population, the government says Spain needs more workers to support its growing economy and contribute to social security, the AP notes.
Spain needs to speak out about immigration, and the legalization process the government has just launched is a perfect opportunity. The best way to counter populist narratives is not to avoid difficult questions, but to answer them clearly and decisively. There is one topic that Spain has ignored for too long: does Madrid's immigration policy really meet the country's needs and opportunities, while respecting the rights of immigrants, points out "Pais".
According to the Barcelona-based civic association "Cercle d'Economia", which examines this question from a broad perspective, taking into account the economic model, social cohesion and issues related to social assistance, the answer is "no".
In a quarter of a century, the proportion of the population born abroad has jumped from 4% to 20%
Spain is the country in the European Union that has welcomed the most immigrants in recent years. Spain's population of 50 million has grown in recent years, with the number of people born abroad reaching around 10 million people living in Spain between 2000 and 2025, Reuters reports. The Spanish think tank Funcas estimates that around 840,000 illegal migrants are currently working in the labour market.
This phenomenon has reached a significant scale and requires a deep understanding. Which means, above all, the need for a serious public debate, something that Spain has not seen before: on the relationship between immigration and the economic model, the real possibilities of welcoming and integrating migrants and what kind of country we want to become by 2050, reports "Pais".
This thesis deserves clarification. Over the past 25 years, Spain's economic growth has been based on the following model: population and job growth, but falling productivity and stagnant wages. Immigration was both a consequence and a driver of this model, supporting GDP growth and job creation. From 2022 to 2024, almost half of new jobs were filled by immigrants, but the benefits in terms of per capita income growth were very limited. Spain has lost ground among European countries and, even more worryingly, this model is unlikely to guarantee the sustainability of the welfare state in the future, notes "Pais".
This situation poses a dilemma that can no longer be ignored. If priority is given to a more productive economic model with higher wages - one that is more technologically advanced, innovative and focused on skilled human capital - then immigration policy must be aligned with this objective. This does not mean reducing the number of immigrants in absolute terms, but rather more organized, more skilled immigration, the pace of which will be in line with Spain's capacity for accommodation and integration.
Obvious tensions
Added to this are the already obvious tensions. The housing market, where supply is growing much more slowly than demand, has become a source of discrimination, initially affecting mainly low-income families, but now extending to broad sections of the middle class. Public services such as health, education and social services are working under increasing pressure. This is not because immigrants are overusing them – the data suggests otherwise – but because population growth and demand are not being matched by an equivalent increase in supply. Those who suffer the most from this pressure are individuals and families with the fewest resources, who are in direct competition with newcomers for the same scarce goods. This is precisely what contributes to the strengthening of populist sentiments.
In these circumstances, the large-scale legalization launched by the Spanish government is necessary and in many ways inevitable.
There is no point in maintaining the illegal status of hundreds of thousands of people who already live and work in Spain, points out "Pais". Legalization allows them to plan for their future and achieve a stable living situation, and could also bring tangible benefits to the tax and social sectors by making employment, contributions and tax payments transparent. But it would be a serious mistake to consider this measure as a solution. Rather, it is an admission of failure: the failure of a system that facilitates entry, creates irregularities in residence due to the lack of control mechanisms, and ultimately offers the possibility of delayed legalization through a residence permit that can only be obtained after at least two years of residence without legal status in a state of instability. It is a system that does not work for anyone.
Resetting the counter without changing anything would mean repeating the same mistake. Spain must finally develop a real immigration policy. A policy that regulates immigration flows so that they correspond to the real possibilities of the country. A policy that will critically review the mechanism for issuing residence permits after several years of illegal residence, so that it no longer serves as a massive channel for delayed legalization. A policy that will review the criteria for family reunification so that they fulfill their humanitarian function and do not become indirect channels for entry. A policy that will strengthen controls on illegal employment. And one that will both prioritize attracting qualified specialists and reduce the administrative barriers that currently hinder this.
A National Issue
None of these measures apply to either the right or the left. This is a national issue. Therefore, it should be treated as a genuine public policy and the broadest possible consensus should be sought. The issue is being addressed head-on by the two main parties, who have a responsibility to lead the debate boldly and with vision, rather than using it as a political weapon or, worse, simply ignoring it.
Spain can no longer afford to lack a real, dignified immigration policy, the newspaper notes.
Spain's position differs from the prevailing attitude in Europe
Spain's position differs sharply from the prevailing attitude on immigration in Europe, where many governments are trying to limit arrivals and step up deportations, the AP notes. The Spanish government has defended the legalization measure as an economic one that enjoys the support of business owners and unions.
In recent years, Spain's population has grown significantly and includes about 10 million people born abroad - or one in five residents. Many are from Colombia, Venezuela and Morocco, fleeing poverty, violence or political instability.
Key sectors of the Spanish economy, including agriculture, tourism and the service sector, depend on immigrants from Latin America and Africa.
This is not the first time Spain has granted amnesty to immigrants living in the country without permission. Spain has previously done so six times between 1986 and 2005, including under conservative governments.
The amnesty is a central element of Sanchez's progressive agenda to harness the economic benefits of migration for an aging population, even as other European governments take steps to tighten border controls to stave off political challenges from the far right, Reuters reported.
The government is once again introducing new regulations without giving the services enough economic resources to deal with them,“ Cesar Perez, a union leader for Spanish immigration officers, told Reuters.
The program has opponents, but the Church supports it
Spain's opposition Popular Party has called the initiative reckless, even though previous conservative governments have pushed for similar measures.
Sanches described the campaign in a letter to citizens published in “Ex" not only as an act of justice but also as an economic necessity.
"Spain is ageing... Without more people working and contributing to the economy, our prosperity is slowing and our public services are suffering", he said.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in a letter on social media explaining the reasons for the amnesty, said that migrants had helped "build the rich, open and diverse Spain that we are and that we aspire to", the BBC notes.
The opposition said the government's estimates were wrong and that around a million migrants could apply for the scheme, with the Popular Party calling the plan "outrageous".
The Catholic Church, by contrast, has backed the government's legislation.
The scheme comes at a time when many of Spain's European neighbours are tightening controls on immigration.
Amnesties for migrants have been implemented many times in the past, the last one being in 2005, when 577,000 people were granted residency permits under socialist rule.
According to government figures, a total of 42,790 people have already submitted online applications to start the regularization process since it began last Thursday, Euronews reported.
Spain's Council of Ministers approved a royal decree on Tuesday that would grant legal status to more than 500,000 illegal immigrants currently residing in the country, Politico reported.
The move pits Spain's left-wing coalition government against the center-right Popular Party, which has vowed to challenge the decree in court, not to mention the far-right Vox party, which wants to deport illegal immigrants from the country.
The measure has been praised by the Catholic Church, an unlikely ally of Sanchez’s left-wing coalition government. In a clear sign of the church’s support for the scheme, applications for legal status will be accepted until June 30, the day Pope Leo XIV is due to begin a week-long visit to Spain during which he is expected to speak out about the plight of immigrants.
The Popular Party voted for the Spanish parliament to consider a legislative proposal to grant legal status to illegal immigrants in the country by 2024, but the effort has stalled. In the two years since, the conservatives have solidified their position. The People's Party is now against the initiative, arguing that it would create problems in an EU that has no internal borders.
"Spain is exporting a migration problem to the entire European Union," said the People's Party leader Alberto Nunes Feijó in Barcelona at the European Forum "Pulse", adding that the move was "against the general European consensus".
The party has announced that it will challenge the decree in court. Similar action is likely to be taken by "Vox", whose leader Santiago Abascal has promised to make Sánchez "pay" for the legalization of immigrants.