Overview
- The government announced on Thursday that 1,174,978 people applied to the April regularisation programme and that more than half of the cases are already being processed.
- Applicants had to show at least five months' continuous residence in Spain by 31 December 2025 and a clean criminal record to be eligible for a Spain-only residence and work permit.
- About two thirds of applicants come from Latin America, with Colombians the largest single group at roughly 26 percent and sizable numbers from Morocco, Venezuela and Peru.
- Madrid has launched a national integration plan funded at over €500 million to register new contributors to social security and help place approved applicants into sectors with labour shortages.
- The move draws praise from employers and many civil society groups for addressing staffing gaps and expanding contributors to the welfare system while conservative parties and some EU partners have criticised the scheme for potentially encouraging irregular migration; similar regularisations have helped over a million people in Spain in the past.