Published on 6/29/2026
Several non-governmental organizations in Spain urged irregular migrants to register before the deadline for an extraordinary process to settle their status collectively, which ends tomorrow, Tuesday, after the process attracted about one million people within a few weeks.
In the last few hours before the deadline, organizations intensified their efforts to communicate with migrants and provide advice to those who are still trying to complete the necessary documents to apply for a one-year residence permit in a country where the number of informal workers is estimated at about 840,000 people, and where obtaining legal status may take more than a year.
The human rights organizations CEAR and SEPAIM called on migrants to submit their applications, even if they are still waiting for some documents from their countries of origin, such as Mali, Iran and Venezuela.
“We are conducting a final review of all those who came to our offices, and some of them may have lacked some documents at the beginning of the process,” said Elena Muñoz, coordinator of the legal team at CEAR.
“If the file is not yet complete, we will submit it before June 30 to ensure that we do not miss the opportunity to benefit from the legalization process,” she added.
Rationing
During the period from last April to this June, the Spanish government received nearly twice the number of applications it had expected, which was 500,000 applications.
The organizations are working to allay the fears of immigrants who have not yet submitted their applications, in a country known for its relatively open approach to those coming from abroad.
Cesar Perez, head of the Union of Migration Agency Employees in Spain, stated that the number of applications submitted reached about 1.27 million applications on Friday.
NGOs fear that at least 20% of these applications will be rejected, partly due to a lack of documentation and limited administrative flexibility.
Last January, it announced that it intends to adopt a plan to regularize the conditions of irregular migrants, from which 500,000 people could benefit.
Elma Saez, Spanish government spokeswoman and Minister of Social Security and Immigration at the time, said: “What we do is we protect and give dignity, we provide guarantees and opportunities, and we guarantee the rights of people who are already in our country.”
Welcome motives
The leftist Spanish government is adopting a policy that welcomes immigrants, primarily for economic reasons, in a different direction to other European Union countries, which are moving towards tightening their policies.
To facilitate the implementation of this measure, the government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez adopted a “Royal Decree”, which is legislation that is observed in the Spanish Constitution and must be published in the Official Gazette without the need to vote on it in Parliament, where the executive branch does not have a majority.
Spain, along with Italy and Greece, are the three main entry points for migrants into Europe, mainly via the Canary Islands located off the northwest coast of Africa.
