Spain’s immigration regularisation scheme received 1,174,978 applications between mid-April and June 30, when the window closed, according to Secretary of State for Migration Pilar Cancela.
More than 600,000 applications are already being processed. The government launched the plan in April under Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has positioned Spain as an outlier in Europe as neighbours harden their immigration policies under pressure from far-right parties.
Madrid says the measure is aimed at bringing undocumented migrants into the legal labour force, including in sectors such as construction that have struggled to find workers.
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Spain has seen at least 1.3million applications from undocumented migrants in the largest scheme of its kind in European history.
The number of applications is more than double the 500k that the Far-Left coalition Govt expected – according to data from the Mercurio platform,… pic.twitter.com/s7wX0MfW7V— Mr Pål Christiansen (@TheNorskaPaul) July 1, 2026
Applicant profile and regional breakdown
The applications came overwhelmingly from Latin America, which accounted for 67 percent of the total. Colombians represented 25.9 percent of all submissions, making them the single largest national group in the scheme.
African nationalities followed with 22.9 per cent, while the next most represented countries were Morocco at 13.3 per cent, Venezuela at 11.8 per cent and Peru at 8.8 per cent.
Cancela said the applicants were largely young: eight out of 10 were younger than 45, and 57 per cent were men. The figures suggest broad interest in the programme, though they do not necessarily indicate how many applicants will ultimately receive legal status.
Eligibility and the government’s case
Government projections in April suggested that about 500,000 people could eventually benefit from the scheme, far fewer than the number who applied.
To qualify, applicants must show a clean criminal record and prove they spent at least five consecutive months in Spain before January 1. Authorities then have three months to examine the paperwork and decide whether to issue a work and residence permit, which is valid only in Spain.
Sanchez has repeatedly argued that immigration is essential to the country’s economic future. In remarks on Tuesday, he said, “Spain has never moved forward by building walls” and warned that without immigration the country would be “poorer, emptier, weaker” and unable to support its welfare state.
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Over 1.2 million undocumented people have applied under Spain’s extraordinary regularization program launched April 16, more than double the 500,000 the government anticipated, per Euronews. PM Pedro Sánchez argues immigration has contributed to roughly half of… pic.twitter.com/LFcZJZW2PK— DC_Global_News (@DC_Global_News) July 1, 2026
Cheers from business, jeers from rivals
The policy has drawn strong support from business leaders, who see it as a way to widen the labour pool, but it has also sharpened political divisions.
Spain’s conservative and far-right opposition has attacked the initiative as an incentive for more irregular immigration. Santiago Abascal, the leader of the far-right Vox party, described the scheme as an “invasion” and accused the government of putting migrants in direct competition with Spaniards for jobs, housing, childcare, hospital care and social assistance.
With the application window now closed and processing underway, the regularisation drive is set to remain a central flashpoint in Spain’s immigration debate in the months ahead.
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FAQs
Q1: Why is Spain offering legal status to undocumented migrants?
Ans: Spain says the scheme is designed to regularise undocumented migrants and address labour shortages in sectors such as construction.
Q2: Who can apply for Spain’s immigration regularisation scheme?
Ans: Applicants must have a clean criminal record and prove they lived in Spain for at least five consecutive months before January 1.
