Spain to start mass regularisation of undocumented migrants, says PM Sanchez

MADRID – Spain’s left-wing government will on April 14 approve a decree expected to regularise around 500,000 undocumented migrants, said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has bucked a European trend cracking down on irregular immigration.

Cabinet will pass the measure “that begins the extraordinary regularisation process for people living irregularly in our country”, Mr Sanchez wrote in a letter posted on social media, confirming a decision first announced in January.

“This regularisation is, above all, an act of normalisation” because the people affected already “build the rich, open and diverse Spain that we are and aspire to be”, Mr Sanchez said.

“The path is clear: Integrate better, organise better, and channel all the potential of those who already live among us.”

The Socialist leader has long argued that Spain needs migration to fill workforce gaps and counteract an ageing population that could imperil pensions and the welfare state.

He credited in his letter “the dynamism of migrants” who have helped Spain become one of the fastest-growing developed economies.

Migration Minister Elma Saiz told Cadena SER radio that migrants could apply from this week until June 30, “with all the channels protected and strengthened” in preparation for the work ahead.

The measure will affect people living in Spain for at least five months and who applied for international protection before Dec 31, 2025.

Applicants must have a clean criminal record. The regularisation will also apply to their children who already live in Spain.

The decree will become law without approval by Parliament, where the Socialist-led coalition lacks a majority.

The conservative and far-right opposition have said the plan will encourage more irregular immigration.

Spain’s more open stance contrasts with a trend that has seen governments toughen migration policies under pressure from far-right parties that have gained ground across Europe.

Around 840,000 undocumented migrants lived in Spain at the beginning of 2025, most of them Latin American, according to the Funcas think-tank.

Spain is one of Europe’s main gateways for irregular migrants fleeing poverty, conflict and persecution. Tens of thousands of mostly sub-Saharan African arrivals have landed in the Canary Islands archipelago off north-western Africa. AFP