Towards the regularization of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants

Spain’s left-wing government announced Tuesday the adoption of a regulatory reform which it says will facilitate the regularization of tens of thousands of additional illegal immigrants per year over the next three years.

“The objective is to strengthen and expand the paths to regularization for migrants who are in Spain, so that they can lead a full life as citizens: have rights and duties”, explained Minister of Inclusion and Migration Elma Saiz.

According to figures cited by the minister, some 210,000 migrants were registered at the end of 2023 in the various procedures leading to naturalization today in Spain, or 85,000 people more than in 2022.

Thanks to the reform adopted on Tuesday, the government estimates that up to 300,000 immigrants could be regularized each year over the next three years.

“As we have repeated several times, various national and international organizations (…) estimate that Spain needs around 250,000 to 300,000 foreign workers per year to maintain its standard of living,” insisted the minister. at a press conference.

“As (Prime Minister Pedro) Sánchez said a few weeks ago, Spain must choose between being an open and prosperous country or being a closed and poor country. And we have chosen the first option,” he said. she continued.

This regulatory reform provides in particular for a reduction in deadlines and formalities for obtaining residence permits, the “strengthening” of the rights of migrant workers, the extension from three months to one year of the duration of the job search visa and the creation of new statuses paving the way for regularization.