Overview
- Eligibility covers people present before Dec. 31, 2025 who can show at least five months’ residence and no criminal record, including those who filed asylum claims before that date.
- Applications are due to open in April and run through June 30, with successful applicants receiving renewable one-year permits and nationwide work rights; children can obtain five-year permits.
- The government estimates roughly 500,000 beneficiaries, though outside assessments suggest the total living without authorization could be higher, with Funcas citing about 840,000 in early 2025.
- Ministers frame the measure as curbing labor exploitation and supporting growth in an aging economy, noting migrants’ role in recent job gains and social security contributions.
- The move followed a late support deal with Podemos and drew immediate criticism from the Popular Party, while migrant-rights groups and the Catholic Church welcomed the regularization.