Spain's Government Approves Historic Decree to Regularise Half a Million Migrants
In a bold move that sets it apart from much of Europe, Spain's socialist-led coalition government has approved a landmark decree to regularise approximately 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers. The decision, announced after Tuesday's weekly cabinet meeting, represents a significant shift towards a more inclusive migration model and directly challenges the anti-immigration policies gaining traction across the continent.
Details of the Regularisation Programme
The decree, which is expected to come into effect in April, will apply to hundreds of thousands of individuals currently living in Spain with irregular status. To qualify for regularisation, applicants must meet specific criteria: they must prove they have no criminal record and demonstrate they had been living in Spain for at least five months – or had sought international protection – before 31 December 2025.
Elma Saiz, Spain's Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, described the announcement as a "historic day" for the country. She emphasised that the initiative aims to "break the bureaucratic barriers of the past" and create a migration framework based on human rights, integration, and coexistence. "We're reinforcing a migratory model based on human rights, on integration and on coexistence that's compatible with both economic growth and social cohesion," Saiz stated.
Political Context and Pressure
The decree follows sustained pressure from the leftwing Podemos party, former allies of the socialists who have maintained a fraught relationship with the government. Podemos leader Ione Belarra celebrated the agreement on social media, writing: "We reached a deal with the [socialist party] for the extraordinary regularisation of undocumented people. No one else has to work without rights … Today and always, yes we can!"
Notably, the programme is being implemented through a royal decree, meaning it does not require parliamentary approval. This approach has allowed the government to bypass potential legislative hurdles and implement the policy swiftly.
Demographic and Economic Rationale
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has consistently argued that Spain needs migration to address its demographic challenges and sustain economic growth. In an address to parliament in October 2024, Sánchez stated: "Throughout history, migration has been one of the great drivers of the development of nations while hatred and xenophobia have been – and continue to be – the greatest destroyer of nations. The key is in managing it well."
Spain's ageing population has created significant labour market gaps that migrants have helped to fill. High rates of migration have contributed to pushing unemployment levels to their lowest since 2008, demonstrating the economic benefits of a more open approach to migration.
International and Domestic Reactions
The Brussels-based Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (Picum) welcomed the decision enthusiastically. Laetitia Van der Vennet, a senior advocacy officer at Picum, commented: "Today's decision by the Spanish government to adopt a broad regularisation measure is a powerful reminder that regularisation is not only possible – it works, and it's the right thing to do."
She added: "For thousands of undocumented people who have built their lives in Spain, this could mean dignity, stability and access to basic rights. At a time when a hostile environment against migrants is spreading on both sides of the Atlantic, this move shows both humanity and common sense."
Spain's Regularisation Now! movement also expressed approval, noting the decision came "in an international context marked by the tightening of immigration policies, border closures, and the criminalisation of migrants in much of Europe."
Conservative and Far-Right Opposition
The move has faced fierce criticism from Spain's conservative People's party (PP) and the far-right Vox party. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused Prime Minister Sánchez of using the announcement to deflect attention from the government's response to last week's deadly rail crash, which claimed at least 45 lives.
"Sánchez's first response is a massive regularisation to distract attention, to increase the pull effect and to overwhelm our public services," Feijóo claimed. "In socialist Spain, illegality is rewarded."
Vox, which is rising in the polls and outflanking the PP on the right with explicitly anti-migrant rhetoric, employed more extreme language. Leader Santiago Abascal declared: "Five hundred thousand illegals! Sánchez the tyrant hates the Spanish people. He wants to replace them – that's why he's using a decree to promote the pull effect and to accelerate the invasion. He must be stopped. Repatriations, deportations and remigration."
Historical Context and European Precedents
Regularisation programmes are not unprecedented in the European Union. Between 1996 and 2008, more than a dozen countries implemented 43 such programmes. In Spain specifically, nine regularisation programmes have been conducted since the country's return to democracy. Interestingly, the PP has conducted more regularisation programmes than any other party while in government.
The current initiative has its roots in a citizen's initiative presented to parliament in 2024, which was signed by more than 700,000 people and backed by approximately 900 social organisations.
Broader European Migration Trends
Spain's decision comes at a time when even some traditional critics of immigration are acknowledging its necessity. In June, Italy's far-right leader Giorgia Meloni – who has long characterised irregular migrants as a threat to Europe's future – announced her government would issue nearly 500,000 new work visas for non-EU nationals in the coming years, in addition to the 450,000 granted since she took power.
This suggests a growing recognition across Europe that managed migration is essential for addressing demographic challenges and sustaining economic growth, even among politicians who have traditionally opposed immigration.
