The deal, brokered between Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Workers' Party and the leftist Podemos party, follows a public campaign that garnered over 700,000 signatures. To qualify for residency and work permits, applicants must demonstrate they have been in Spain since at least December 31, 2025, and maintain a clean criminal record. Migration Minister Elma Saiz described the move as a historic step toward integrating those already living and working within the country, arguing that the policy promotes coexistence and economic stability.
In section Newsroom
Spain Moves to Regularize 500,000 Undocumented Migrants
While the U.S. intensifies its mass deportation efforts and pressures European allies to adopt restrictive border policies, the Spanish government has finalized an agreement to grant permanent legal residency to approximately 500,000 undocumented migrants, positioning human rights at the center of its national migration model.
The initiative faces fierce opposition from the far-right Vox party, which labeled the plan as dangerous. In response to concerns regarding the strain on public services, Podemos officials argued that existing systemic issues stem from previous privatization efforts rather than migration. With roughly 840,000 undocumented individuals estimated to be in the country, the government aims to provide a formal pathway to rights, directly contrasting its approach with the aggressive anti-immigrant policies currently championed by the Trump administration in Washington.
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