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Marrakech – Spain’s government announced Monday it will approve a comprehensive regularization program benefiting over 500,000 undocumented immigrants through a royal decree that bypasses parliamentary approval.
The measure, agreed with the left-wing party Podemos, will be presented Tuesday to the Council of Ministers under urgent procedures. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s administration chose this route to avoid potential rejection in Congress, where it lacks a majority.
“All people who were in Spain before December 31, 2025, and can demonstrate at least five months of residence will have papers,” announced Irene Montero, Podemos’ political secretary and MEP, at a Madrid event titled “RegularizacionYa” (Regularization Now).
Applicants must prove residence in Spain for at least five months before the December 31 deadline and have no relevant criminal record. Documentation can include municipal registration, medical reports, utility contracts, or money transfer certificates.
Once applications are submitted, deportation orders and return procedures will be automatically suspended. Admission for processing grants a one-year provisional residence and work permit, providing access to healthcare and other fundamental rights.
Immigration Minister Elma Saiz detailed that applications can be submitted from April through June 30. The government committed to processing requests within three months, with admission decisions made within 15 days of submission.
The one-year authorization can later be converted to ordinary residence status under standard immigration regulations. Minor children already in Spain will also be regularized simultaneously, with their permits valid for five years.
The announcement follows extended negotiations between Podemos and the Socialist Party (PSOE). The measure stems from a Popular Legislative Initiative backed by 700,000 signatures and supported by parliament with 310 votes in favor and 33 against, with only the far-right Vox party opposing.
Podemos has presented this as achieving “social justice” for people “living and working in our country but denied basic rights through institutional racism.” The party argues maintaining irregular status only increases labor exploitation and feeds racist hatred.
The timing reveals clear political calculation. Sánchez announced the regularization specifically to win Podemos’ votes for Tuesday’s crucial omnibus decree, which includes pension increases and housing measures.
The government desperately needs Podemos’ parliamentary support after months of strained relations with its former coalition partner.
Without this immigration concession, Podemos threatened to vote against the omnibus decree, potentially bringing down key government legislation. The regularization essentially represents Sánchez paying Podemos’ price for their parliamentary cooperation.
The far right escalated rhetoric into existential alarmism
Conservative People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo criticized the measure as a “smokescreen” that “transmits the worst possible message and consolidates a model that neither orders immigration nor protects coexistence.”
Criticism was even harsher from far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal, who lashed out at what he called the “tyrant Sánchez,” accusing him of “hating the Spanish people” and seeking to “replace them.” He claimed that the government intends to “promote a pull factor by decree in order to accelerate an invasion.”
The regularization runs counter to hardening immigration policies across most EU member states amid rising far-right influence. However, similar programs in Italy (2020), Portugal (2020), and Greece (2023) were adopted to meet labor-market needs or respond to pandemic pressures, reinforcing the argument that newcomers can help bolster struggling economies.
France reduced regularizations by 42% under recent circular directives, while Germany’s “right of residence for opportunities” program benefited over 76,000 people between 2022-2025. Belgium has conducted only three mass regularizations since 1974.
According to a Funcas report, 840,000 undocumented people lived in Spain as of January 1, 2025, with 60% potentially eligible for this program. Minister Saiz noted that 14% of Social Security contributors are foreigners, stressing positive economic contributions through increased tax collection and pension system revenues.
Police unions warned about operational strain on already saturated Immigration units. The Unified Police Union (SUP) noted that lacking criminal records does not equal lacking police records, as some individuals may be linked to ongoing investigations.
Spain experienced significant shifts in irregular migration patterns during 2025. Total irregular arrivals dropped 42.6% to 36,775 people, down from 64,019 the previous year, largely due to enhanced Spanish-Moroccan cooperation following improved diplomatic relations. The Canary Islands saw the most dramatic decline, with arrivals falling 62% from 46,850 to 17,800 migrants.
Spain’s last major regularization occurred in 2005 under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s government, benefiting 565,121 people from 691,655 applications. Since the 1980s, both Socialist and Conservative governments have implemented eight such processes, attempting to reduce undocumented populations and combat the shadow economy.
The current program represents Spain’s largest immigration regularization in nearly two decades, potentially affecting public services, including healthcare and housing markets, due to increased legal resident demand.
