SPAIN’S Council of Ministers approved an amnesty on Tuesday which means an estimated 500,000 people are now eligible for legalisation.
Undocumented migrants who meet certain conditions can now apply for a one-year residency and work permit.
The measure will affect people living in Spain for at least five months and who applied for international protection before December 31 2025.
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Verification will be produced via ‘public or private documents’ according to Migration Minister, Elma Saiz.
Saiz said migrants could begin applying in person on April 20 and online from Thursday.
Applicants must also show that they have no criminal record, the government stated.
Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, hailed the measure as ‘an act of justice and a necessity’.
He reiterated his government’s position that people who already live and work in Spain should ‘do so under equal conditions’ and pay taxes.
“We recognise rights, but we also demand obligations,” he commented on social media.
“Neither technology nor automation will solve this challenge on their own in the coming years.”
“The path is clear: better integration, better organisation, and channelling the full potential of those who already live among us,” Sanchez said.
Opponents say the amnesty will encourage more irregular immigration.
Around 840,000 undocumented migrants lived in Spain at the beginning of 2025, most of them Latin American, according to the Funcas think-tank.
Spain has granted amnesty to illegal immigrants on six previous occasions between 1986 and 2005.
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