Spain: 1.17 Million Migrants Apply for Residence Permits Under Regularization Program

Political Assessment in Madrid

Pedro Sánchez described the regularization on Tuesday as a "gute Entscheidung für unsere Wirtschaft" ("good decision for our economy"). At the same time, he spoke of "Herausforderungen" ("challenges") in connection with integration. With the initiative, the left-wing government in Madrid is pursuing a migration policy course that differs from the line taken by most EU countries, which have recently tightened their migration policies and increasingly shut themselves off against immigration.

Spanish Secretary of State Pilar Cancela described the high number of applications as evidence that the regularization procedure had met with broad resonance. She announced that the processing of the remaining applications would be swiftly continued. Critics, however, accuse the government of circumventing existing rules on legal immigration with the action.

From the opposition came demands to expand reception capacities in areas such as housing, health, and education in order to cope with the expected influx. Social associations also pointed out that the integration of applicants into the labor market could only succeed if accompanying measures were taken. The government announced corresponding programs without providing details.

Spain is one of the countries within the European Union with the highest rates of irregular migration, particularly via the Canary Islands and the southern border with Morocco. According to the government, the regularization program is intended to help combat undeclared work while strengthening the rights of those affected.

European Context

The final figure of 1,174,978 applications marks one of the largest regularization waves in the country's recent history. Comparable programs in earlier years had recorded significantly lower participation rates. The authorities are now evaluating the applications according to origin, marital status, and length of stay in order to decide on the issuance of permits.

In parallel with the Spanish initiative, other EU states such as Italy and Portugal have also launched similar programs in recent years, albeit on a much smaller scale. EU Commission representatives have repeatedly pointed out that national regularizations cannot serve as a substitute for a common European migration policy.

For the coming months, the government in Madrid expects a steady influx of further applications from family members who may follow under family reunification. According to Cancela, the administration is prepared for this increase. In addition, it is being examined which migrant groups require special support.

Economic Expectations

Employer associations welcomed the program as an opportunity to legally employ urgently needed workers in sectors such as agriculture, construction, gastronomy, and care. Trade unions stressed at the same time that regularization must be tied to compliance with collective agreements and minimum wages so that wage competition does not arise.