One million migrants in Spain apply to regularise status in new scheme | Spain

More than a million undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers have applied to regularize their status in Spain under a government program to defend and enjoy the benefits of immigration at a time when most European countries are lifting the drawbridge.

Although the massive regulatory initiative announced by the socialist-led government in January was initially intended to benefit around 500,000 people, it had twice that number of applicants by the time the registration period ended on Tuesday.

The program offers a residence and work permit, initially valid for one year, to applicants who can prove that they have no criminal record and have lived in Spain for at least five months or have requested international protection before December 31, 2025.

Speaking in Madrid on Tuesday, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said the large-scale adoption of the program revealed how badly it was needed. “The fact that more than one million people applied shows how necessary it is for rights and responsibilities to be recognized,” he said.

Sánchez said Spain needs immigration to grow economically, cope with the demographic crisis and finance its welfare state.

“Without migration, Spain’s GDP would be 19% lower in 2050,” he said. “So what does this mean for business? This means, for example, that 90,000 pubs will have to close, 50,000 primary and secondary classes will be left without students, and around 220,000 farms will disappear.”

He added that without immigration, Spain would be “poorer, emptier, weaker and lacking the resources to finance its welfare state.”

While similar extraordinary regulatory programs have been introduced by previous socialist and conservative governments in Spain, the latest plan has been strongly criticized by the right-wing People’s Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party.

PP claimed that this move would negatively affect Spain’s public services, while Vox claimed that Sánchez was trying to achieve “the demographic, social, labor and electoral transformation of Spain”.

The PP regional governments of Valencia and Aragon lodged objections against the regulatory programme. On Tuesday, the court said it was considering asking the European Court of Justice whether aspects of the Spanish government’s regulatory decree could be contrary to EU law.

The PP’s leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, also objected to the government’s decision four years ago to introduce a democratic memory law offering Spanish citizenship to the descendants of Spaniards forced into exile during the Spanish civil war and the subsequent Franco dictatorship. More than 2.4 million people have applied for citizenship under the law and more than 544,000 have already received approval.

In a radio interview on Monday, Feijóo accused Sánchez of engaging in “election engineering” in hopes of winning over more socialist voters.

“What’s behind this? [the descent law] “There is an obvious interest in winning over new voters,” he told Es Radio. “While the existing voters are not working, let’s see if they will produce.” [new] voters are coming out.”

The government rejected Feijóo’s accusations, saying they reeked of desperation.

“I find them incredibly irresponsible,” said Elma Saiz, Spain’s minister responsible for inclusion, social security and immigration. “They show the desperation and frustration of someone who has no political project for our country and who already appears to be feeling electoral defeat.”

Sánchez has been a staunch and sustained advocate for the need for immigration at a time when other European leaders have adopted the language of the far right in an attempt to convince voters that they take immigration seriously.

Speaking in parliament in October 2024, Sánchez said that the country was at a demographic crossroads and needed immigration to grow its economy and maintain its state of prosperity.

“Throughout history, migration has been one of the greatest driving forces of the development of nations, while hatred and xenophobia have been and continue to be the greatest destroyers of nations,” he said. “The important thing is to manage it well.”

On Tuesday, Sánchez unveiled a €500 million (£431 million) “integration and citizenship” plan to help manage the flow of migrants and ensure they are well integrated. “Spanish society must guarantee equal treatment, fight discrimination and provide opportunities,” he said. “And those who come must respect our laws, learn our official language and share the democratic values ​​that define us.”