Spain Draws 900,000 Migrant Legalisation Bids, Granting 360,000 Work Permits
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 15
Spain Draws 900,000 Migrant Legalisation Bids, Granting 360,000 Work Permits
3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 15
Summary
Around 900,000 undocumented migrants have applied for legal status in Spain since April, far above the government's initial 500,000 estimate with two weeks still left in the programme.
Spain has already granted 360,000 temporary work permits—about 40% of requests received—and applicants can start working once their files are accepted for processing.
Officials say the drive is meant to pull migrants into the formal labour market as Spain's economy outpaces many European peers, with foreign workers filling shortages in hospitality and elderly care.
The surge also reflects bottlenecks in Spain's regular immigration system, where asylum claims can take years and more than 90% are rejected, leaving about 840,000 people undocumented.
CEAR expects applications to top 1 million by the June-end deadline and says Spain still needs broader reforms to prevent migrants being left on society's margins.