MADRID – Spain’s government has approved a major migration reform that will grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants, marking one of the country’s most ambitious moves on immigration in recent years, according to Euro News.
The plan, approved by Spain’s left-wing coalition government, is expected to regularise around 500,000 people who currently lack the right to stay in the country. Migration Minister Elma Saiz said the measure reflects Spain’s commitment to human rights, social inclusion, and economic growth. “We are strengthening a migration model based on integration and coexistence,” she told public broadcaster RTVE.
To qualify, migrants must have lived in Spain for at least five months and applied for international protection before 31 December 2025. Applicants are also required to have a clean criminal record. The reform will extend to children who are already living in Spain with their families. The application window is expected to open in April and run through the end of June.
Those who gain legal status will be allowed to work in any sector and anywhere in the country. The government believes this will help fill labor shortages and support Spain’s ageing population. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has repeatedly argued that migration is vital to the country’s economy, noting that migrants have driven much of Spain’s economic growth over the past six years.
Recent official data appears to support this claim. In the final quarter of last year, more than two-thirds of new jobs were filled by foreign workers, contributing to Spain’s lowest unemployment rate since 2008.
The reform will be passed by government decree, avoiding a parliamentary vote where the ruling coalition lacks a majority. This decision has drawn sharp criticism from conservative and far-right opposition parties. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the Popular Party, called the plan “ludicrous” and warned it would overwhelm public services, vowing to overhaul migration policy if his party comes to power.
However, the measure has been welcomed by several civil society groups, including the Spanish Catholic Church, which praised it as an act of social justice.
Spain currently hosts more than 7 million foreign residents out of a population of 49.4 million. According to estimates, about 840,000 undocumented migrants were living in the country at the start of 2025, many of them from Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. As other European nations tighten migration rules, Spain’s decision sets it apart as one of the continent’s most open destinations for migrants seeking safety and opportunity.
