At least half a million immigrants living unlawfully in Spain will be able to apply for legal status under a new amnesty measure finalised by far-left Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
The government bypassed parliament, where it does not hold a majority, and approved the regularisation decree in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, with Mr Sanchez calling the move an “act of justice and a necessity” in an open letter posted on social media.
Illegal immigrants who arrived in Spain before January 1, can prove they have lived in the country for at least five months, and have no criminal record, will now be able to seek a one-year residency and work permit. After that expires they will be eligible to apply for other work or residency permits.
El Consejo de Ministros aprobará hoy el Real Decreto que da inicio al proceso de regularización extraordinaria de personas en situación irregular en nuestro país.
Un acto de normalización, de reconocer la realidad de casi medio millón de personas que ya forman parte de nuestra… pic.twitter.com/Es9il0KE59
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) April 14, 2026
Applications will open on Thursday online and in-person on April 20 and run until June 30, and the government said illegals will be able to make their applications at five immigration offices, 60 social security offices, and 371 posts offices across the country.
According to the government there are 500,000 illegal immigrants living in Spain, but think tank Funcas estimates the number could be as high as 840,000. About 10 million of the country’s 50 million legal residents were born overseas, many from Colombia, Venezuela and Morocco.
Leader of right-wing anti-immigration party Vox, Santiago Abascal, responded to the decision by writing on social media that Sanchez “hated” his own people and was “accelerating an invasion”.
The centre-right Popular Party (PP) has also come out against the amnesty, despite voting in favour of it in 2024 when only Vox opposed it, El Pais reported.
PP Deputy Secretary Alma Ezcurra said the amnesty was “bad for those who have followed the law, for those who are yet to come; it is bad for citizens as a whole, who see how public services are deteriorating without the government doing anything about it”.
But Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz called the decree a “major milestone” and a “great day for our country”, and said Spain was acting as a “beacon” in a global effort to counter rising anti-immigration sentiment.
“These are people who live among us, whose children go to school with our children, who bring life to our towns and our streets, and who, starting today, will be able to enjoy full rights with guarantees and fulfill their obligations,” she said.
Header image: Left, Pedro Sanchez with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (Facebook). Right, hordes of illegals approach the Spanish enclave on Ceuta on the Moroccan border in 2023.
