Spain’s Immigration Program Sees Surging Applications
The Spanish government is facing an unexpected surge in applications from undocumented migrants, receiving over one million requests for legal status—more than double what was anticipated for the socialist immigration initiative.
Back in January, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez launched a mass regularization scheme aimed at granting legal status to around 500,000 undocumented migrants. But by the application deadline on Tuesday, the number had skyrocketed, hitting over a million submissions.
This program allows individuals without a criminal record who have been in Spain for at least five months, or those with international protection before the end of 2025, to apply for legal residency and a one-year work permit.
Despite the influx of applications, only a portion will be accepted. Data from the official online immigration portal, Mercurio, reveals that roughly 1.3 million people sought to register, though not all will qualify for the program.
It’s important to note that this regulation is exclusively for undocumented immigrants. Anyone with valid residency permits or authorizations cannot apply. However, those who are accepted can start working legally in Spain as soon as their application is processed.
Officials indicate that by mid-June, over 900,000 people had submitted applications, with around 360,000 already granted provisional work and residency permits.
“The more than one million applications submitted… show how necessary this recognition of rights and responsibilities was,” Sánchez expressed on Tuesday in Madrid. He emphasized that immigration is critical for Spain’s economic growth and demographic challenges, necessary for funding its welfare state.
“Without immigration, Spain’s GDP would be 19% lower in 2050. And what does that mean in business terms? It could lead to 90,000 bars closing and classrooms lacking students,” he added.
“Condemning a person to invisibility makes for a worse country. We all lose. We want Spain to be seen as a nation that upholds human rights,” he said.
However, this latest initiative has drawn sharp criticism from the right-wing People’s Party (PP) and the Vox Party. The PP has raised concerns that this will overwhelm public services, while Vox accuses Sánchez of attempting to alter Spain’s demographic and electoral landscape.
Local governments in Valencia and Aragón, led by the PP, have taken the matter to court, questioning whether the program aligns with European Union regulations.
In a radio interview, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo criticized Sánchez, suggesting that the prime minister is engaging in “electoral engineering” to win votes from socialists.
“This regularization decree seems aimed at attracting new voters instead of focusing on existing ones,” Feijóo commented.
The Spanish government has firmly rejected these accusations, describing them as signs of desperation from the opposition.
Sánchez countered, arguing that without increased immigration, Spain would suffer economically, becoming “poorer and without the resources for its welfare state.”
“These claims are incredibly irresponsible,” remarked Elma Saiz, the minister for inclusion, social security, and migration, indicating that such rhetoric reflects a lack of political direction.
A significant number of the applicants hail from North African countries, with Moroccans making up about 14% of all submissions. Colombians represent the largest group, comprising roughly 30% of the total.
