The Take As EU tightens borders, Spain legalizes 500,000 migrants
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Feb 2, 2026 Marcos Bartolomé, Al Jazeera audio producer in Barcelona who covers Spain and European migration, explains Spain's new decree legalizing roughly 500,000 undocumented residents. He walks through how the regularization window works and who stands to benefit. He details grassroots pressure that pushed the law, the political backlash, and why Spain diverges from stricter EU approaches.
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Two-Month Regularization Window
- Spain will open a two-month window (April–June 2026) to regularize undocumented migrants who arrived before Dec 31, 2025 and have been present >5 months.
- Applicants can prove presence with public or private documents like utility bills or medical records.
Undocumented Workers Keep Spain Running
- Estimates place Spain's undocumented population between 500,000 and 800,000, roughly 1% of the population.
- Many perform essential informal jobs like domestic work, deliveries, and seasonal labor that keep the economy functioning.
Grassroots Drive Forced Political Attention
- Regularización Ya began in 2020 as a coalition of 100+ organizations collecting 700,000 signatures for a popular initiative.
- Activists gathered signatures everywhere—from cinemas to nightclubs—forcing the issue into Congress in 2024.