Spain embraces immigration despite political pressures

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Long queues have formed outside immigration offices in Spain, where a nationwide programme is underway to grant legal status to half a million illegal migrants.

So what? Spain is embracing migration as the rest of Europe rejects it. The campaign, which began in April and runs until June, will grant renewable one-year resident permits to migrants who have been in the country since 31 December and have no criminal record. It

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  should grow the economy;

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  is not without controversy; but

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  does reflect a more pragmatic approach to migration.

Refusing to bow. Spain is an outlier in several respects. Its prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has been consistent in his criticisms of Donald Trump’s policies on tariffs, migration and Iran, and he has refused to ramp up defence spending as the rest of Europe rearms significantly.

Great guns. At a time when much of the Eurozone is mired in stagnation, Spain’s economy is in rude health. It grew by nearly 3% in 2025, twice the EU average of 1.5%. By contrast, Germany and Italy rose by 0.2% and 0.5% respectively. This is a remarkable turnaround for a country seen as an economic straggler a decade and a half ago.

Come in. There are several reasons for its change of fortunes, including a focus on services and renewable energy. Another is openness. Migrants make up roughly 20% of Spain’s population, one of the highest levels in Europe, and were responsible for 20% of its economic growth in 2024.

The logic. Spain’s regularisation drive has been couched in the language of human rights, since it will allow undocumented migrants to access healthcare and social security. But the main motivation is economic. Moving hundreds of thousands of workers from the shadow economy to regular jobs should increase their public contributions and address labour shortages.

Blunt assessment. Sánchez makes no bones about this pragmatism. In February he wrote that, in the face of an ageing population, the “west needs people” to support economies and public services. This is a problem shared by all rich countries but publicly acknowledged by few.

Familiarities. It helps that most immigrants to Spain share cultural and linguistic ties with its citizens. There are an estimated 840,000 undocumented migrants in the country, a number that has grown fivefold since 2017. More than 750,000 are from Latin America, with the largest contingents from Colombia, Peru and Honduras.

That said, Spain is not immune to far-right populism. The anti-immigration Vox party, which wants to deport illegal migrants, is the third-largest group in parliament. The conservative People’s Party has hardened its stance on immigration and opposes the regularisation scheme.

Other side. The pair have renewed their regional pact ahead of next year’s general election. PP argues the regularisation scheme will attract more migrants and increase competition for jobs in a country that already has an unemployment rate of 10.5%, the second highest in the rich world.

Not so new. Spain has regularised illegal migrants at least six times since the 1980s. The largest scheme was in 2005, when 557,000 people were handed legal papers.

This time feels different. Attitudes have changed since 2005. Germany and France have made it harder for migrants to obtain citizenship, the US is rounding up migrants in the streets, and Italy is processing migrants rescued at sea in offshore detention centres. The UK has toughened work visa rules and doubled the time requirements for indefinite leave to remain.

What’s more… The EU has raised concerns as migrants regularised in Spain will be able to move freely within the bloc. Its immigration commission has said that “every state must avoid decisions that have negative effects on other members”.

Photograph by Emilio Morenatti/AP