Spain receives more than 1M applications to legalize irregular migrants

More than 1 million irregular migrants have applied for legal residency and work permits in Spain under a government decree, officials said Monday.

The application process, which began April 15 and ends Tuesday, was launched under an emergency decree adopted by the minority left-wing coalition government to allow eligible irregular migrants to obtain legal residency and work permits.

The government had initially expected 500,000 applications.

Government spokesperson and Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Minister Elma Saiz said after a Cabinet meeting that the regularization process had been “successful.”

Saiz criticized the main opposition People’s Party (PP) for complaining to Brussels about the measure on the grounds that it allegedly violated common EU standards, arguing that the opposition was acting irresponsibly.

She said the final number of applications is expected to be announced during the weekend.

Spanish media, citing civil society organizations, reported that applications from irregular migrants seeking legal status had reached 1.2 million.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to attend an event Tuesday related to the regularization process.

Under the emergency decree approved by the Cabinet, irregular migrants who entered Spain before Jan. 1, 2026, have lived in the country continuously for at least five months, have no criminal record and do not pose a threat to public order are eligible to apply for residency and work permits.

Right-wing and far-right groups in the European Parliament have criticized the government’s decision to regularize irregular migrants.

The number of foreign residents in Spain has doubled since 2002, and migrants now account for 20% of the country’s population, according to official figures.

The latest data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) show that 10 million foreign-born people live in the country, representing one-fifth of the population.

During the last three years, the number of foreign-born residents has increased by 2 million, while migrants accounted for 43% of all new jobs created during that time.