Spain Residence Permit in 2026: Authorities Approve Legalisation of 500,000 Migrants

The cabinet has approved a programme to grant legal status to undocumented foreigners

Photo: Euronews

On 27 January 2026, the Spanish government approved a programme to legalise migrants who do not have the right to stay, Euronews reports. The decision was adopted in the form of a decree that does not require parliamentary approval and could affect around 500,000 people. The approved measure has become one of the largest steps in recent years in regulating Spain’s residence permit system and clearly differs from the broader European trend towards tightening migration policy.

Who will be granted a Spain residence permit

The programme applies to foreigners who have lived in Spain for at least five months and applied for international protection before 31 December 2025. A clean criminal record is a mandatory requirement. The measure also covers applicants’ children who already live in Spain and are applying for a residence permit in Spain together with their parents.

Applications for legal status and a Spain residence permit will be accepted from April until the end of June. The programme is being implemented by decree, allowing the government to bypass parliament, where the socialist coalition does not have a stable majority. The authorities emphasise that the measure applies to migrants already present in the country and does not affect existing entry rules.

Migration Minister Elma Saiz said that those who obtain legal status will be able to work in any sector of the economy and in any region of the country. She clarified that the figures are estimates and that the final number of beneficiaries may vary, although the benchmark is around half a million people.

Political reaction and public response

The decision has drawn criticism from the conservative and far-right opposition. Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said the programme could overwhelm public services and encourage illegal migration. He also said he would revise migration policy if he came to power.

At the same time, the initiative was supported by public and religious organisations, including the Spanish Catholic Church, which described it as an act of social justice and recognition of an existing reality. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has previously said that Spain needs migration to address labour shortages and offset the effects of an ageing population. He noted that migration accounted for around 80% of the country’s economic growth over the past six years. In the fourth quarter of last year, 52,500 of the 76,200 new jobs created were filled by foreigners, helping to reduce unemployment to its lowest level since 2008.

Migration policy context

Spain’s approach to migration stands out against the broader European trend towards tightening entry and residence policies, driven by the growing influence of far-right parties. According to estimates by the Funcas think tank, around 840,000 undocumented foreigners were living in the country at the beginning of 2025, most of them from Latin America. Spain remains one of the main destinations for irregular migration in Europe, with tens of thousands of people, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, continuing to arrive in the Canary Islands.

According to the National Statistics Institute, Spain is home to more than 7 million foreigners out of a total population of 49.4 million, making the issue of Spain residence permits one of the central topics in the current migration debate.

Conclusion

Analysts at International Investment note that mass legalisation of undocumented migrants is not unprecedented for Spain, as the authorities have taken similar steps in the past. However, the current decision has been made in a very different political context. Anti-migration sentiment has intensified across Europe, and pressure on governments from right-wing and far-right forces has increased significantly.

Against this backdrop, Madrid’s course appears atypical, especially given that most EU countries are simultaneously tightening entry rules, residence requirements and deportation procedures. Spain is effectively signalling its readiness to act against the broader European trend, viewing migration not as a temporary challenge but as a structural factor shaping demographics and economic development.