Spain's application period for migrant legalization is ending – nearly 1 million applications submitted
On June 30, Spain will close the application period for participation in a large-scale program to legalize undocumented migrants. According to Spanish authorities, by mid-June more than 900,000 people had already applied, although the government initially expected about 500,000 applicants.
The extraordinaria regularización program provides renewable residence permits to migrants who have lived in Spain for at least five months and have no criminal records.
According to the government, about 360,000 applicants have already received temporary residence and work permits.
The initiative originated from a 2024 public campaign supported by over 700,000 Spanish citizens, hundreds of humanitarian organizations, business associations, and the Catholic Church. In April this year, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government approved the relevant royal decree, setting a little over three months for submitting applications.
Pedro Sánchez calls the program a recognition of the contribution of people who are already working in the Spanish economy. At the same time, the legalization is criticized by the People's Party and Vox. They tried to stop the government decree through the courts, but last month Spain's Supreme Court rejected such a request.
The mass legalization of migrants is taking place amid the European Union's tightening migration policies. Earlier this month, the EU completed a reform of the migration system, which provides for faster returns of undocumented migrants, stricter border procedures, and the possibility of creating return centers outside the EU for those denied asylum.
In a letter to the permanent representatives of EU member states sent earlier this month, the Spanish government expressed disagreement with the new approaches, citing "serious legal, foreign policy, and operational concerns related to return centers, as well as the disproportionality of certain measures." Instead, the country called on the EU to adopt migration rules based on "full respect for international law and EU law."
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