Spain has taken a fresh step in its migration policy. On Tuesday 14 April 2026, the government launched a process to regularise around 500,000 migrants living in the country without papers.
The measure responds to a social reality that has taken root, and it aims to formalise the status of people already in the country. “This regularisation is an act of normalisation,” said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, as the Spanish press reported. The scheme is open to foreign nationals who arrived before the end of 2025, hold a clean criminal record and can show at least five months of continuous residence in Spain. Successful applicants receive a one-year residence permit, which they can renew, and the scheme also covers some rejected asylum seekers.
The decision fits a particular economic moment. Spain’s workforce is ageing, and the government wants to fill gaps in sectors that are short of labour. Bringing these workers into the formal economy, it argues, serves both social and economic ends. “Far from being a burden, migrants keep our economy running and help sustain our social system,” Sánchez said.
Many of the people concerned already work, often in precarious conditions tied to their status. They fill jobs in agriculture, construction, hospitality and care work, where demand for labour stays high.
The project grew out of a strong civil-society push. A citizen-led initiative gathered more than 700,000 signatures and drew in community and religious groups, which together forced regularisation onto the public agenda. At the same time, the authorities want to regain a grip on a complex reality. The irregular routes to the Canaries and the North African enclaves draw most of the attention, but many people fall into an irregular situation another way, through interrupted paperwork or permits that have lapsed. The measure therefore gives legal cover to journeys already under way, rather than answering only for new arrivals.
As many governments harden their migration policies, this stance sets Spain apart. It does not remove the challenge of managing arrivals, but it puts regularisation and integration first. Implementation will now decide its worth. The way applications are processed, the delays and real access to rights will determine what the measure changes in people’s lives.
Spain remains one of Europe’s three main gateways, alongside Italy and Greece. Nearly 37,000 irregular migrants entered the country in 2025, a figure down 42.6% on 2024, according to Interior Ministry data.
