Spain expected roughly 500,000 applicants but saw numbers soar, straining administrative capacity. The surge deepens a clash with Brussels over migration rules and returns.<\/p>\n
In Spain, nearly a million undocumented migrants have applied for legal status under a sweeping legalization program; the submission deadline is June 30.<\/p>\n
According to government officials, the Spanish government expected about 500,000 people to join the program for renewable residence permits.<\/p>\n
According to Spanish authorities, by mid-June the number of applicants had surpassed 900,000.<\/p>\n
The legalization initiative emerged from a 2024 citizen proposal, supported by more than 700,000 Spaniards, as well as hundreds of humanitarian organizations, business associations, and the Catholic Church. In April of last year, the government of Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez approved the corresponding royal decree, which gave applicants a little more than three months to submit their documents.<\/p>\n
Timeline of Events and the Government\u2019s Response<\/p>\n
According to officials, about 360,000 of the more than 900,000 people who had applied by mid-June had already received temporary work and residence permits.<\/p>\n
S\u00e1nchez defends the move as recognition of migrants\u2019 contribution to the country\u2019s economy, but the program has faced criticism from the center-right People\u2019s Party and the far-right Vox.<\/p>\n
The mass legalization also puts Madrid at odds with the EU\u2019s migration policy, which is currently supported in Brussels. Earlier this month, the EU completed reform of the migration system, which envisages speeding up returns, strengthening border control, and creating so-called \u2018return centers\u2019 outside the EU for people refused asylum.<\/p>\n
European Context and Brussels\u2019 Response<\/p>\n
Member states have urged the swift creation of such centers, with the initiative led by Denmark, Austria, Greece, Germany, and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
In the context of the discussion, Spain expressed disagreement with the EU\u2019s new migration policy, noting serious legal, international-political, and operational concerns related to return centers, as well as the lack of proportionality of individual measures. Instead, the country urged the EU to adopt migration rules based on full respect for international law and EU law.<\/p>\n
According to the European Union, in 2025 the number of immigrants in the EU reached a record high of 64.2 million people.<\/p>\n
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