Up to 300,000 per year: this country bordering France will facilitate the regularization of illegal migrants

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 broaden the pathways 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, i.e. 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.

“Spain needs around 250,000 to 300,000 foreign workers per year to maintain its standard of living”

“As we have repeatedly stated, 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,” the minister insisted at a press conference. “As (Prime Minister Pedro) Sánchez said ago a few weeks, Spain must choose between being an open and prosperous country or being a closed and poor country. And we chose the first option,” 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. According to Minister Elma Saiz, some 2.9 million foreigners already contribute to social security each month, or 13.6% of total members, “two points more than just two years ago”.

In favor of a reception policy for mainly economic reasons, the Spanish left-wing government is an exception on the migration issue within the European Union, in contrast to the hardening carried out by many countries in the bloc. Spain is one of the three main immigration gateways to Europe, along with Italy and Greece. The country is particularly faced with the massive arrival of migrants in the Canary Islands archipelago, in northwest Africa. As of mid-October, 32,878 irregular migrants had arrived there this year, compared to 23,537 during the same period last year, according to the Interior Ministry.