How will 500,000 immigrants be regularized?
The Spanish president agrees with Podemos on the measure to grant legal status to half a million foreigners, as Aznar and Zapatero did.
BarcelonaThe regularization of half a million undocumented immigrants The measure agreed upon by Pedro Sánchez's Spanish government is now a reality. Promulgated at the request of Podemos, the regulation has generated controversy, especially among right-wing parties, although it is not a new initiative in Spain's recent history. What are the key points of the decree?
The requirements
The royal decree from the national government establishes certain requirements to qualify for this regularization, such as having been in Spain "for at least five months" and "continuously" before the last day of 2025. Another requirement is having a clean criminal record. Furthermore, applicants for international protection must have submitted their application before 2026. The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration anticipates that regularization applications will begin to be submitted "at the beginning of April," once the procedures established by the royal decree have been completed and the process finalized. According to the national government, this will not create a "pull factor" for other migrants because the timeframe is limited and the measure is "compatible and complementary with immigration regulations." It also points out that 95% of migrants arrive through "regular channels" and that Irregular arrivals to the coasts have fallen by 42%.The authorization will enable them to work, removing the obstacles faced by undocumented immigrants. However, the ministry itself admits that "most already work," but "in informal or precarious conditions," that is, off the books and without guarantees. The measure could significantly increase the number of people registered with Social Security. From Aznar to Zapatero
Large-scale regularizations of undocumented immigrants are not a new phenomenon in Spain. The process was initiated by former Socialist Prime Minister Felipe González, who, in three separate regularization processes—in 1986, 1991-1992, and 1996—granted legal status to over 170,000 people. Under José María Aznar, the number of regularized migrants skyrocketed to over half a million, with two separate processes in 2000 and 2001. His success was followed by the Socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who holds the record for regularizations, with 576,000 people in 2005.
Why is Congress decided by lottery?
The royal decree promoted by the Spanish government allows it to bypass the Congress of Deputies, where it was unclear whether it would have a parliamentary majority—although in the initial processing of the popular legislative initiative for regularization, it only faced opposition from Vox. A regulation will simply be modified because the executive branch believes that "the social urgency and the broad political, economic, and social consensus" surrounding the measure made it necessary to act as quickly as possible. In this regard, it argues that the measure is "a government response within the constitutional framework and fully compatible with legislative debate," that it is "the fastest," and that it embodies "the spirit" of the popular legislative initiative. The regularization promoted by Zapatero also bypassed the legislative chamber.
Who supports it?
The Catalan employers' association Fomento del Trabajo, the Unió de Pagesos (Farmers' Union), and the Spanish Episcopal Conference have all supported this regularization. In the case of the large Catalan employers' association, its president, Josep Sánchez Llibre, celebrated it enthusiastically: "Business owners need immigration like the water we drink," he said. The agricultural union also gave it a "positive" assessment, noting that it "promotes territorial development and improves the management of agricultural campaigns." And the president of the Spanish bishops, Luis Argüello, applauded it, saying that "it is a recognition of the human dignity" of people who had encountered "the wall of lack of legal status." Christian organizations have also praised it.
The criticisms
Although the People's Party (PP) voted in favor of processing the popular legislative initiative, its leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, changed course and asserted that this regularization serves to "increase the pull factor and overwhelm public services." According to Feijóo, "illegality is rewarded." The PP also criticized Sánchez's attempt to "divert attention" from the Adamuz accident. Meanwhile, the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, stated that Sánchez is promoting an "invasion" to "replace" the Spanish people with foreigners.