Policy Promise Delayed, Advocacy Groups Exert Pressure
The Spanish government announced in late January its plan to launch a large-scale immigrant regularization process (commonly known as an “amnesty”) between early April and the end of June. However, several days into April, the official decree for the plan has yet to be published, leaving the promise unfulfilled. The main reason for the delay is that the Council of State (Consejo de Estado), a state consultative body, has not yet completed its review report on the proposal.
In response, the ‘Regularización Ya’ (Regularization Now) platform, which has been advocating for this legalization for the past two years, has expressed deep regret. The organization is urging the government to publish the official decree by April 15 and has warned that if there is no progress by then, they will formally request an extension of the application deadline beyond the original June 30 date to compensate for the lost time.
Regularization Details and Social Controversy
According to the current draft, this regularization primarily targets two groups:
- Individuals who submitted an international protection application before December 31, 2025 (regardless of whether the application was denied).
- Undocumented economic migrants who can prove continuous residence in Spain for at least five months before December 31, 2025 (i.e., since July 31, 2025).
Successful applicants will receive a one-year residence and work permit, applicable to all sectors nationwide, which can later be renewed through regular channels. Additionally, the minor children of applicants can directly obtain a five-year residence permit.
However, the plan has also sparked intense social debate. Victoria Columba, a spokesperson for the ‘Regularización Ya’ platform, has publicly condemned Spain’s right-wing forces for politicizing the process and running smear campaigns against the immigrant community. She emphasized that legalization is crucial for protecting the fundamental rights of vulnerable migrants and advocated for maintaining flexibility in the application criteria to avoid excluding anyone.
Administrative Delays Lead to Knock-on Effects
Ms. Columba warned that the Council of State’s delay not only increases anxiety among applicants but also puts extra pressure on the administrative system. More seriously, this uncertainty has created market chaos. Some law firms and other intermediaries, based solely on their interpretation of the unfinished draft, are charging desperate migrants fees as high as 400 euros for consultations.
At the same time, the information lag has provided fertile ground for rumors and far-right hate speech, exacerbating social tensions and causing further harm to the undocumented immigrant community.
Tentative Application Process as Parties Actively Prepare
Although not yet officially announced, information from the independent trade union CSIF indicates the regularization application will proceed in two stages. The first stage will be for collecting documents, while the second stage, case review, will be handled by a centralized processing center in the northern city of Vigo.
In-person application points are expected to be set up at post offices, government delegation offices, immigration offices, and some Social Security offices. Online channels will also be available, but some applicants may face identity verification difficulties due to a lack of digital certificates.
While waiting for the policy to be implemented, relevant immigrant communities have begun active preparations. For example, to help its citizens apply smoothly, Senegal has set up “mobile consulates” in several locations in Spain, such as in the city of A Coruña to serve compatriots in Galicia and Castile and León, assisting with necessary documents. In just one weekend, they served over 300 people.
Historical Context and EU Practice
Spain has historically conducted six large-scale immigrant regularizations, promoted by both the right-wing People’s Party government (2000, 2001) and the left-wing Socialist Workers’ Party government (1986, 1991, 1996, 2005). Within the European Union, member states have implemented over 40 similar regularization processes since the 1990s. Recent examples include Italy (2020) and Portugal (2021), showing that such policies are a common tool for addressing the issue of undocumented immigration.
