On June 30, 2026, Spain closed its largest immigration regularization program since 2005 with 1,174,978 applications received, nearly double the 500,000 the government of Pedro Sánchez had estimated, according to data from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration as reported by Al Jazeera on July 14.
The program, launched in April 2026 via emergency decree, allows undocumented migrants residing in Spain since before January 1, 2026 to obtain a renewable one-year residence and work permit. According to the same source, 608,000 applications have been admitted for processing with provisional permits, and 159,097 people are already contributing to Spain's Social Security system. The measure was driven by the Regularización Ya platform with backing from the Catholic Church, trade unions, and business organizations, and runs counter to the tightening of immigration controls that predominates across the European Union.
The applicant profile confirms the Latin American weight in migration to Spain: 30 percent of applications come from Colombia; 14 percent from Morocco; 10 percent from Venezuela; and 9 percent from Peru, according to Anadolu Agency. Six in ten applicants are under 34 years old. The government allocated more than 500 million euros to the program, which includes language training and professional integration. Authorities have until the end of September 2026 to resolve the bulk of the cases. Regional governments in Valencia, Aragón, and Madrid have filed judicial challenges against the legality of the decree.
The Spanish program offers a model of migration policy grounded in mass regularization and economic integration, distinct from the restrictive approach dominant in Europe. For Latin American countries with significant diasporas, the Spanish experience provides evidence on the fiscal and labor effects of regularization at scale, a relevant reference point for the design of migration policies in the region.
This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.