Spain’s mass migration regularisation exceeds expectations amid economic reform push
The initiative, running from April to June 2026, has granted provisional permits to 608,000 applicants, though final resolutions remain limited.
Spain’s first mass regularisation process since 2005 has attracted more than one million applications from migrants living in the country without legal status. The scheme, which ran from April to June 2026, exceeded government expectations of half a million applicants. Of the 1,174,978 submissions, approximately 608,000 have been accepted for processing, granting provisional residency and work permits, while only 11,000 have received a final favourable resolution. The government argues the measure is essential for economic growth and addressing labour shortages in sectors such as care work, amid an ageing population.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has framed the policy as a critical intervention to prevent long-term economic contraction. In a public address, Sanchez warned that without this measure, Spain’s GDP would be 19 per cent lower by 2050, accompanied by the closure of 90,000 bars, 50,000 classrooms, and 220,000 farms. The administration contends that integrating the undocumented workforce is necessary to sustain public services and agricultural output as the demographic profile shifts.
The demographic profile of the applicants indicates that 57 per cent are men, most originate from Latin American countries, and 60 per cent are under the age of 34. Many applicants, such as Badr Tmairi, a 22-year-old Moroccan national who has been homeless for a year, seek stability to access formal employment. Tmairi, who arrived in Spain at 16, stated his intention to work as a hairdresser and visit family in Morocco, highlighting the personal stakes involved in the bureaucratic process.
Civil society organisations and migrant advocates have welcomed the scheme while critiquing the systemic failures that necessitated it. Edith Espinola, president of the Active Domestic Workers’ Service Association (SEDOAC), described the high volume of applications as proof that the state has failed in its duty to protect the most vulnerable. The Regularizacion Ya collective, which has campaigned for the measure since 2020, noted that living without legal status condemns individuals to social exclusion and labour exploitation.
The practical impact of the regularisation is already visible in the formal economy. So far, 159,097 additional people have registered with the Social Security system as a result of the process. Rocio Neciosupe, a 54-year-old Peruvian cleaner recovering from a work-related injury, emphasised that regularisation is not a handout but a means to secure sick leave and rights. Similarly, Josselyn Aguirre, a nursing assistant from Ecuador, expressed her desire to work in the care sector, citing a national shortage of staff.
Gonzalo Fanjul of ISGlobal noted that Spain is aiming for a population of 50 million people but stressed that regularisation is only the beginning and underlying issues remain unresolved. Fanjul argued that opening legal, safe, and orderly channels for labour mobility is essential to avoid the economic struggles seen in other nations with restrictive migration policies. Despite the progress, advocates warn that the system has been reset without addressing the root causes of irregular migration.
The government now has three months to resolve the vast majority of the applications submitted. While provisional permits provide immediate access to the labour market, the slow pace of final resolutions leaves many applicants in a state of limbo. Migrant groups have vowed to remain vigilant to ensure the more than one million applications are processed properly, maintaining pressure on the state to deliver on its policy commitments.
