Spain to regularize about 500,000 undocumented migrants by decree
The Spanish government approved a decree to regularize roughly 500,000 undocumented migrants, allowing work rights and family inclusion. The move bypasses parliament and has drawn sharp opposition.
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By Torontoer Staff
Spain’s left-leaning government approved a decree on Tuesday to regularize roughly 500,000 undocumented migrants, granting them the right to work and access services. The measure will affect people who meet residency and application conditions and will be enacted without a parliamentary vote.
The government says the plan is intended to strengthen a migration model based on human rights, integration and economic need. Opposition parties called the move reckless, predicting pressure on public services and a pull effect on irregular migration.
Who qualifies
- People who have lived in Spain for at least five months and applied for international protection before Dec. 31, 2025
- Applicants must have a clean criminal record
- The regularization will include children already living in Spain
Exact numbers are estimations, but Migration Minister Elma Saiz said authorities expect the beneficiaries to number around half a million. She added that approved applicants will be entitled to work, "in any sector, in any part of the country," and praised the economic contribution of migration.
We are strengthening a migration model based on human rights, integration, co-existence, and compatible with economic growth and social cohesion.
Elma Saiz, Spain’s Migration Minister
Timing and procedure
The measure will be enacted through a royal decree, which allows the government to implement it without needing approval in parliament, where the Socialist-led coalition does not hold a majority. The application window is expected to open in April and remain open until the end of June.
Political reaction
The plan drew immediate criticism from Spain’s main right-wing and far-right parties. They argued that regularization would encourage more illegal immigration and strain public services.
The ludicrous plan would overwhelm our public services. In Socialist Spain, illegality is rewarded.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, head of the Popular Party
Supporters from civil society and parts of the Catholic Church praised the move. The Spanish Catholic Church described the measure as an "act of social justice and recognition" for people who have established lives in Spain despite irregular status.
Economic and social context
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has framed the regularization as a response to labour shortages and demographic decline. Sánchez has said migration accounted for 80 percent of Spain’s dynamic economic growth over the past six years and argued that immigrants are key to sustaining pensions and public services as the population ages.
Recent official data show foreigners drove much of the employment gains late last year. Of 76,200 people who increased employment in the final quarter, 52,500 were foreign nationals, contributing to Spain’s lowest unemployment rate since 2008.
Scale and international context
Funcas, a Spanish think-tank, estimated about 840,000 undocumented migrants were living in Spain at the start of January 2025, most from Latin America. Spain remains one of Europe’s main entry points for irregular migrants, including tens of thousands of arrivals in the Canary Islands from sub-Saharan Africa.
Compared with many EU governments moving to tougher migration policies under pressure from right-wing parties, Spain’s approach is relatively open. More than seven million foreigners now live in Spain out of a population of about 49.4 million, according to the National Statistics Institute.
What happens next
The decree will be published and put into effect shortly, and the government will open the application portal in the spring. Officials will need to process potentially hundreds of thousands of cases quickly, verify criminal records and determine entitlement for family members already in Spain.
The policy is likely to remain a central political issue ahead of future elections. Opposition parties have pledged to reverse the measure if they come to power, while advocacy groups and churches have signalled continued support for regularization as a tool for social integration and economic planning.
Spainimmigrationmigration policyPedro Sánchezregularization
