Spain’s government has confirmed that it will grant residency to 500,000 undocumented migrants.
The decision was signed off on Tuesday by the Council of Ministers and will be implemented through a reform of the country’s immigration laws, following a political agreement with Podemos.
Under the plan, any undocumented migrant who can prove they were living in Spain for at least five months before December 31, 2025 will be eligible to apply.
The process is designed to be fast-tracked, with applications handled between April and June and decisions issued within 15 days.
As soon as an application is accepted for processing, any pending deportation proceedings will be automatically suspended.
Does this apply to Brits living in the country illegally?
This mass regularisation is not designed for UK nationals, even if they are currently in Spain without valid residency.
Although the text of the reform refers broadly to ‘foreign nationals’, it is aimed squarely at third-country migrants who cannot regularise their status through existing legal routes – mainly people from Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia.
Brits already have routes available, even if they failed to use them. This regularisation is intended for people who do not.
Where are irregular migrants mostly from?
According to the conservative think tank Funcas, the number of undocumented migrants in Spain had risen from 107,409 in 2017 to 837,938 in 2025.
According to the data, the majority come from the Americas, accounting for 760,000 of the total.
Specifically, the largest groups are Colombian (nearly 290,000), Peruvian (almost 110,000), and Honduran (90,000).
African (50,000), Asian (15,000), and European (14,000) nationalities are significantly fewer.
First mass regularisation since 2005
Spain has not carried out a measure of this scale for two decades. The last comparable move came in 2005, when the government of Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero granted residency to nearly 573,000 people.
‘This is a historic day for Spain,’ said Elma Saiz, the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.
‘We are strengthening a model based on human rights, integration and social cohesion – and one that is compatible with economic growth.’
Saiz said the reform revives the ‘spirit’ of a citizens’ initiative backed by more than 700,000 signatures, which has been stalled in Parliament for over a year.
How the scheme will work
The government estimates that over 500,000 people currently living in Spain without legal status could benefit, provided they:
- Have no serious criminal record
- Do not pose a threat to public order
- Can prove residence in Spain for the required period
The scheme also covers asylum seekers who submitted their applications before December 31, 2025.
Proof of residence can be flexible and includes documents such as:
- Registration on the local padrón
- Rental contracts
- Medical appointment records
- Social services certificates
- Money transfer receipts
- Transport tickets
- Right to work from day one
Once an application is formally accepted – a step that will take no longer than 15 days – applicants will immediately receive a one-year residence and work permit, valid across Spain and in any sector.
After that year, migrants will be able to switch to one of Spain’s existing residency routes, including social, labour, training or family-based permits.
Children of applicants will be able to regularise their status at the same time and will receive permits valid for five years.
‘This is a simple mechanism designed to break with the bureaucratic barriers of the past,’ Saiz said. ‘It gives workers rights and offers businesses legal certainty.’
