{"id":727567,"date":"2026-04-14T15:26:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/727567\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T15:26:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:26:15","slug":"spains-government-approves-migrant-amnesty-measure-for-legal-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/727567\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain’s government approves migrant amnesty measure for legal status"},"content":{"rendered":"

MADRID (AP) \u2014 Spain\u2019s government on Tuesday finalized a migrant amnesty measure that it announced earlier this year<\/a>, paving the way for hundreds of thousands of immigrants<\/a> living and working without authorization in the southern European nation to apply for legal status.<\/p>\n

The approach sharply differs from much of Europe\u2019s prevailing attitudes on immigration in which governments are trying to reduce the number of arrivals and step up deportations, and contrasts with the harsh immigration policies of the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez hailed the measure as \u201can act of justice and a necessity.\u201d He reiterated his government\u2019s position that people who already live and work in the country of 50 million people should \u201cdo so under equal conditions\u201d and pay taxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognize rights, but we also demand obligations,\u201d S\u00e1nchez wrote on social media.<\/p>\n

The government estimates that half a million people living in the shadows of Spanish society could be eligible to apply; analysts say the number is likely higher. Spanish think tank Funcas estimates there are roughly 840,000 migrants living in Spain without authorization.<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s population has risen sharply in recent years to include around 10 million people who were born outside the country, or one in every five residents. Many are from Colombia, Venezuela and Morocco.<\/p>\n

Immigrants from Latin America and African countries work in key sectors including agriculture, tourism and the service sector.<\/p>\n

Those who meet certain conditions can now apply for a one-year residency and work permit, Migration Minister Elma Saiz said, adding that migrants could begin applying in person on April 20 and online on Thursday. The window to apply will close June 30.<\/p>\n

Immigrants must have arrived in Spain before Jan. 1 and must prove that they have been living in the country for at least five months. That can be done by presenting \u201cpublic or private\u201d documents, Saiz said. Applicants must also show that they have no criminal record, the government said.<\/p>\n

After a year, the migrants will be eligible to apply for other work or residency permits.<\/p>\n

Major questions remain about how Spain\u2019s government will handle the expected amount of paperwork within the short timeframe. <\/p>\n

A Spanish union representing immigration officers demanded more resources on Tuesday, warning that the government is not prepared to meet the challenge.<\/p>\n

Migrants will be able to apply in-person in 60 social security offices, 371 post offices and five immigration offices across Spain, the government said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the first time that Spain granted amnesty to immigrants who are in the country illegally. It did so six times between 1986 and 2005, including under conservative governments.<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s opposition Popular Party slammed the measure, with party leader Alberto N\u00fa\u00f1ez Feij\u00f3o calling it unsafe and unsustainable. His center-right party carried out two previous mass legalizations of migrants in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n

The S\u00e1nchez government\u2019s measure was fast-tracked via a decree that amends immigration laws. By doing it that way, the government was able to bypass parliament, where it lacks a majority and where a previous amnesty attempt stalled.<\/p>\n

Saiz lauded the measure as a way that Spain, which has been among the fastest-growing European Union economies for two years, can continue to expand.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur prosperity is demonstrably linked to our management of migration and the contributions of foreign workers,\u201d she said. \u201cTheir contribution allows us to grow economically, generate employment and wealth, and maintain our welfare system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MADRID (AP) \u2014 Spain\u2019s government on Tuesday finalized a migrant amnesty measure that it announced earlier this year,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":727568,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[301257,64,69,440,8697,57,409,90048,12489,50,130635,8960,80,128,8958,103,107],"class_list":["post-727567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","tag-alberto-nez-feijo","tag-business","tag-donald-trump","tag-europe","tag-european-union","tag-general-news","tag-immigration","tag-law-and-order","tag-migration","tag-news","tag-pardons-and-commutations","tag-pedro-sanchez","tag-politics","tag-spain","tag-spain-government","tag-world","tag-world-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116403764358542283","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=727567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727567\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/727568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=727567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=727567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=727567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}