Spain’s left-wing government announced on Tuesday, November 19, the adoption of a regulatory reform that it says will facilitate the regularization of tens of thousands of additional illegal immigrants each year for the next three years. “The objective is to strengthen and expand the regularization pathways for immigrants who are in Spain, so that they can lead a full life as citizens: have rights and duties”explained the Minister of Inclusion and Migration, Elma Saiz.
According to the figures cited by the minister, at the end of 2023 some 210,000 immigrants were registered in the different procedures leading to naturalization today in Spain, that is, 85,000 more people than in 2022. Thanks to the reform adopted on Tuesday, the Government estimates That up to 300,000 immigrants could be regularized each year over the next three years.
“As we have said repeatedly, various national and international organizations (…) They estimate that Spain needs between 250,000 and 300,000 foreign workers per year to maintain its standard of living »the minister insisted at a press conference. “Like the [premier ministre Pedro] Sánchez a few weeks ago, Spain must choose between being an open and prosperous country or being a closed and poor country. And we chose the first option”continuous.
An unusual welcome policy
This regulatory reform provides, in particular, for a reduction in the deadlines and formalities for obtaining residence permits, the “booster” of the rights of migrant workers, the extension of the duration of the job search visa from three months to one year and the creation of new statuses that pave the way for regularization.
According to Minister Elma Saiz, some 2.9 million foreigners already contribute to social security each month, or 13.6% of the total affiliates, “Two points more than just two years ago”. Supporter of a reception policy for mainly economic reasons, the Spanish left-wing government represents an exception in immigration matters within the European Union, in contrast to the hardening carried out by many countries in the bloc.
Spain is one of the three main immigration gateways to Europe, along with Italy and Greece. According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, more than 54,000 people entered the country illegally between 1Ahem January and November 15, that is, 7,400 more than in 2023 in the same period.
The country is especially facing the massive arrival of immigrants to the Canary Islands archipelago, in northwest Africa. As of mid-November, nearly 40,000 irregular migrants had arrived there this year, compared to 32,209 during the same period last year.
