The Digester
politics

Spain to regularise about 500,000 undocumented migrants

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain will approve on April 14 a decree to begin an extraordinary regularisation expected to affect about 500,000 undocumented residents, with applications open until June 30.

Apr 14th 2026 · Spain

Insights

  • Cabinet will approve a decree on April 14 to start an extraordinary regularisation process that will become law without parliamentary approval.
  • The measure is expected to regularise roughly 500,000 people who have lived in Spain for at least five months.
  • Applicants must have a clean criminal record and must have applied for international protection before Dec 31, 2025.
  • Applications are open immediately and close on June 30, and the regularisation also covers children already living in Spain.
  • The government says regularisation will help fill workforce gaps and integrate migrants, while conservative and far-right parties say it may encourage irregular migration.

Sources