Nearly 1 million unauthorized migrants apply for legal status in Spain – POLITICO

Spain’s unauthorized migrant population is rushing to apply for legal status under the country’s expansive regularization program before Tuesday’s deadline.

Although the Spanish government originally expected around 500,000 people to apply for the program — which provides renewable residence permits to all applicants who have been living in Spain for at least five months and have a clean criminal record — over 900,000 had applied by mid-June, according to Spanish authorities.

The legalization drive stems from a 2024 citizens’ initiative that was backed by over 700,000 Spaniards, hundreds of humanitarian organizations, business groups and the Catholic Church. Last April, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government approved a royal decree that gave aspirants a little over three months to file applications to benefit from the scheme.