Spain’s Amnesty Process Sees Over 1.3 Million Applications

With the June 30 application deadline looming, reports indicate that around 1.3 million applications have been filed by undocumented immigrants in Spain’s mass amnesty initiative. This figure is notably higher than the “500,000” estimate initially provided by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s administration at the outset of the process.

The data, which comes from official Spanish government sources, aligns with information obtained from the platform used by the government to tally all amnesty requests nationwide. However, the government has yet to confirm this staggering statistic.

Maria Miyar, who leads social studies at the Spanish nonprofit Juncas, expressed some skepticism about the accuracy of the estimates. “It’s tough to pinpoint the exact number of undocumented individuals,” she noted, stating that law enforcement might have more reliable data suggesting that the figures could exceed 1.3 million. “These are simply applicants. The criteria for approval or denial is a different story,” she added.

Miyar also pointed out potential issues with the applications, mentioning that some submissions could be based on falsified documents. “There’s a bit of flexibility for officials based on their directives,” she explained, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding some of the applications received.

Spain’s government has been processing amnesty requests since mid-April, initially declaring that only around 500,000 migrants would qualify during the early months of 2026. This amnesty would provide recipients with legal immigration status, work permits, and various benefits.

Concerns were raised back in February by law enforcement officials, who worried that the actual beneficiary count could surpass the initial estimates. Many suggested that up to 1.35 million people might ultimately benefit from the policy, which aligns closely with the 1.3 million figure reported recently.

As of mid-June, reports indicated that around 360,000 applications had been processed, while approximately 900,000 applications had been submitted thus far. After the deadline, authorities will have several months to adjudicate all requests, though it’s unclear whether any applications have been rejected thus far.

According to reports, Spain’s Ministry of Immigration plans to release official figures on the amnesty application process within the week. An unnamed source indicated that Prime Minister Sánchez aims to present the final statistics and an analysis of the economic impact resulting from a significant influx of eligible workers shortly after the deadline.

The amnesty initiative, while controversial and often met with resistance from various sectors of Spanish society and government, has been pushed forward by the socialist administration throughout the first half of 2026.