Spain is taking its own approach to migration policy: hundreds of thousands of people without regular residence status are to receive a temporary residence and work permit. The interest is significantly greater than expected.
June 30, 2026, 6:30 p.mJune 30, 2026, 6:30 p.m
One of the largest legalization campaigns for sans-papiers in recent years is underway in Spain. People without regular residence status had until the end of June to submit an application to have their residence temporarily legalized. How SRF reported that more than 900,000 applications had already been received by mid-June.
This significantly exceeded the Spanish government’s expectations. The Migration Ministry had originally expected around 500,000 applications. After the deadline, it will now be over a million.
Anyone who can submit a request
The regulation applies to people who can prove that they have lived in Spain continuously for at least five months before the end of 2025. In addition, they must not have committed a crime in the past five years – neither in Spain nor in a previous country of residence.
Anyone who meets the conditions will initially receive a temporary residence and work permit for one year. This only applies within Spain. During this time, those affected must work or complete training. They can then apply for permanent residence.
However, it is unclear how many applications will ultimately be approved. According to SRF, around a third of applicants have received a positive decision so far. Most of those affected are between 25 and 44 years old. Around 90 percent come from Latin America, around 10 percent from Africa and Asia.
Authorities under pressure
The high number of applications sometimes pushes the administration to its limits. At times, individual offices were barely able to keep up with the processing. According to SRF, there were also difficulties in submitting the necessary criminal record extracts, especially if these had to be obtained from countries of origin or previous residence.
The Spanish authorities have three months per case to examine the documents.
Spain needs workers
From Spain’s perspective, the step is less unusual than it might seem from the outside. There were several major rounds of legalization between 1985 and 2005 – including under conservative governments.
The government justifies the new regulation primarily with the labor shortage. Spain is aging, and at the same time there is a shortage of employees in sectors such as catering, hotels, care and construction. Legalization is intended to reduce undeclared work, increase tax revenue and support the welfare state in the long term.
Broad support – but also resistance
The legalization dates back to an initiative from 2024 that was supported by more than 700,000 people. The project was backed by employers’ associations, trade unions, NGOs and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, among others.
The conservative People’s Party also initially supported the course. However, she has since criticized the fact that the government decided on the measure by decree. The far-right party Vox is clearly opposed to this and is instead calling for large-scale deportations.
Politically, the move is risky for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. His socialist party is under pressure because of several corruption scandals, while the People’s Party and Vox are campaigning with positions critical of migration. The next elections are scheduled for next year. (mke)
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