OVIEDO, Spain

Spain’s government on Tuesday approved the start of procedures to regularize undocumented migrants already living in the country, a move expected to benefit more than half a million people.

Calling it “a historic day,” Elma Saiz, Spain’s minister for migration, said the government was strengthening “a migration model based on human rights and compatible with economic growth.”

She said the Cabinet authorized the drafting of a royal decree that will allow migrants who arrived in Spain before Dec. 31, 2025, and can prove at least five months of continuous residence to obtain legal status, provided they have no criminal record.

Under reforms to Spain’s immigration regulations, migrants will be allowed to work from the first day their application is approved, Saiz said. All asylum seekers who filed their claims before the end of the year will also be eligible.

Applications are expected to open in early April and remain available through June, she added.

The measure was agreed with the left-wing party Podemos.

Podemos leader Ione Belarra said the regularization could benefit between 500,000 and 800,000 people.

“These are people who already live here … but who are working without rights,” she said in a video posted on social media, describing the move as one of the biggest advances in labor rights in years.

Madrid’s decision comes as a growing number of EU countries pursue stricter measures against irregular migrants.

Spain has been the fastest-growing major economy in the eurozone over the past two years. Economic data released Tuesday showed Spain’s unemployment rate fell below 10% for the first time in 17 years.