More than 1 million immigrants requested to regularize their situation in Spain

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, presents the citizenship and integration plan, at the closing of the deadline for applications for migration amnesty, in Madrid, Spain
REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
"More than a million" immigrants have presented documentation to regularize their situation in Spain under the plan launched by the government and which ends this Tuesday (30), announced Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, despite opposition from the right and the extreme right.
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Spain approves mass regularization of undocumented immigrants; see the rules
Advocating a welcoming policy, the left-wing government led by Sánchez constitutes an exception in terms of migration in the European Union, contrary to the majority of its members.
"We want the world to see Spain as a country that respects, protects and upholds human rights", said Sánchez this Tuesday in his speech about the decision, which he considered "good" for the Spanish economy, although he recognized its "challenges".
According to the mass regularization plan, authorities have three months to analyze applications and grant - or not - applicants a residence and work permit valid only in Spain.
Interested people needed to prove at least five months in Spanish territory by January 1st and demonstrate that they have no criminal record.
In Spain, the government begins to regularize the situation of thousands of illegal immigrants
"Legal, safe and organized" policy
Cornered by corruption scandals and alleged influence peddling that affect his closest surroundings and the Socialist Party, Pedro Sánchez turned the extraordinary plan into a flagship, one year before the scheduled end of the legislature.
"Immigration helps to meet labor needs, also to sustain the welfare state and keeps many territories alive", Sanchez, who also mentioned the aging of the population. Without immigration, "Spain would lose 19% of its GDP in 2050", he assured.
This pragmatic approach had already been especially praised in recent months by the president of the main Spanish business organization (CEOE), in a context marked by difficulties in hiring in some sectors.
"Great opportunity"
In Spain for two and a half years, Juana Hernández, a 59-year-old Cuban who lives in Madrid, celebrates the government's plan.
"It's a great opportunity", she tells AFP, enthusiastically.
A graduate in English and currently in training to work at Madrid-Barajas airport, she explains that she was "a little restless", before receiving a few days ago, "the notification of admission for analysis" of the process.
In the region of Cantabria (north), Mohamed, a 23-year-old Moroccan who preferred not to give his surname, has lived illegally in Spain for "four years", but wants to regularize his situation "to work legally, contribute" and prevent employers from taking advantage of him, as they do with irregular people.
One of the main entry points for immigration in Europe, around 37,000 irregular immigrants entered Spain in 2025, a sharp drop compared to 2024 (-42.6%), according to the Ministry of the Interior.
On January 1, more than 10 million people born abroad lived in the country, which has a total population of almost 50 million inhabitants, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).

Source: G1