Spanish government approves amnesty programme for undocumented immigrants

The plan, which could see 500,000 people apply, makes Spain an outlier as anti-immigration sentiments fester in Europe.

Spain’s government has approved an amnesty programme that will allow an estimated 500,000 undocumented immigrants to apply for legal status.

The measure, passed on Tuesday by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s administration, will open the way for applications on April 16. The decree makes Spain an outlier in Europe, as well as many other parts of the world, with anti-immigration sentiments festering.

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It has also provoked opposition from political opponents and anger from civil servants who complain that they will not be able to cope.

The measure was fast-tracked via a decree to amend immigration laws, allowing Sanchez’s left-wing government to bypass parliament, in which it lacks a majority. The measure failed in a previous attempt to push an amnesty bill past lawmakers.

Under the plan, those who meet certain conditions will be able to seek a one-year residency and work permit. Migration Minister Elma Saiz said migrants could apply online on Thursday, and in person starting April 20. The window will close on June 30.

Applicants must have arrived in Spain before January 1 and prove that they have been living in the country for at least five months and have no criminal record. After a year, those granted the temporary measure will be eligible to apply for other work or residency permits.

Sanchez, who is seeking to leverage immigration to help avert the problems on the horizon of Spain’s ageing society, labelled the move “an act of justice and a necessity”.

Alberto Nez Feijo, leader of the opposition People’s Party, dubbed it “inhumane, unfair, unsafe, and unsustainable”. However, the centre-right party carried out two mass legalisations of migrants in the early 2000s when it was in power.

The government estimates that half a million people living in the shadows of Spanish society could be eligible. Analysts suggest that the figure is likely to be higher.

A union representing immigration officers on Tuesday demanded more resources, warning that the government is not prepared to meet the challenge.

Slowing prosperity

Sanchez deemed the move a “necessity”, warning that “without new people working and contributing … prosperity slows”.

“It is thanks to the dynamism of migrants that the Spanish economy is currently the fastest growing in Europe,” he insisted.

The southern European country’s population has risen sharply to around 50 million in recent years, and today, around 10 million of its residents were born outside the country, or one in every five people.

Many are from Colombia, Venezuela and Morocco, having fled poverty, violence or political instability.