Spain grants provisional permits to 609,000 migrants after 1.17 million apply for legal status

Application surge

On Thursday, the Spanish government announced final figures for its extraordinary regularisation programme, which ran from mid-April to 30 June. A total of 1,174,978 undocumented migrants submitted applications. Of these, 609,737 have been admitted for processing and received provisional residence and work permits, while around 11,000 have already obtained full legal status. The scheme requires applicants to prove they have lived in Spain for at least five months before 1 January 2026 and have no criminal record.

This measure allows hundreds of thousands of people who already reside in our country, but with fear and without rights, to face the future with enthusiasm and hope.

Demographic profile

Two thirds of applicants, 67 percent, originate from Latin America, with Colombians making up a quarter of the total at 25.9 percent. Morocco (13.3 percent), Venezuela (11.8 percent) and Peru (8.8 percent) are the next most represented countries. African nationalities accounted for 22.9 percent of applications. The applicant pool skews young: eight in ten are under 45 years old, and 57 percent are male.

Entry into formal employment

By 30 June, 159,097 newly regularised individuals had registered with Spain's social security system, according to data released alongside the application numbers. The hospitality sector absorbed the largest share, with 38,776 registrations, followed by commerce (20,195), administrative services (19,327), construction (18,310) and agriculture (14,248). Overall, foreign workers accounted for two of every three new social security registrations in June, a 244 percent increase compared to the same month last year.

Political tempest

The programme has ignited fierce political opposition. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative People's Party, initially accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of electoral engineering, before partially retracting that claim on Thursday. The far-right Vox party went further, describing the policy as a silent electoral fraud and calling for the suspension of mail-in voting for Spaniards living abroad.

silent electoral fraud

The government dismissed the accusations as profoundly irresponsible, noting that the permits do not confer voting rights. Business leaders have broadly welcomed the regularisation, citing acute labour shortages in sectors such as construction and hospitality.

Galicia's snapshot

Regional data provide a closer look. In Galicia, 38,747 applications were lodged, with A Coruña province leading at 17,219, followed by Pontevedra (10,406), Lugo (5,947) and Ourense (5,175). Advocacy groups there have organised weekly protests in Santiago de Compostela, demanding an extension of the application deadline and more resources to handle the administrative backlog that local police stations are struggling with.