Spain begins legalizing around 500,000 immigrants without residence permits, Albanians also benefit!

2026-04-14 15:48:16Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Spain

In a reversal of the trend toward austerity measures prevailing in much of Europe, Spain is launching a major program today to regularize illegal immigrants, which potentially affects "around half a million people" and could support the Spanish economy, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced.

This decision also affects Albanian immigrants living in the Iberian country illegally.

"The Council of Ministers will today approve a royal decree to begin the process of extraordinary regularization of persons with irregular residence status in our country," declared the Spanish Prime Minister in a letter to the Spanish people posted on X, confirming the implementation of this initiative announced in January and which mainly affects Latin American immigrants.

"This legalization is above all an act of normalization (of residence status). Which means recognizing the reality of around half a million people who are already part of our daily lives," the Spanish prime minister said in the letter.

Spanish government spokeswoman Elma Sais told Cadena Ser radio that the process will begin this week and end on June 30.

Justifying this broad program, Pedro Sanchez cited "a need" to address Spain's aging population and support the Spanish economy, the fourth largest in the eurozone and one of the most dynamic in Europe today.

"We understand that immigration causes problems. It would be irresponsible to deny it," he admits, adding, however, that "immigration is a reality that must be managed responsibly, integrated fairly and transformed into shared prosperity."

"It is a process of adjustment as we have known it during more than 40 years of democracy in our country and under the government of the People's Party," explained Pedro Sánchez during a press conference in Beijing, where he is making an official visit.

Sánchez's government is adopting a waiting policy, constituting an exception to the trend of tightening immigration policy adopted by the European Union.

To facilitate the implementation of the program, Pedro Sánchez's government will adopt a "royal decree", as provided for by the Constitution, which can then be published in the Government Gazette without going through Parliament, where the government does not have a majority.

The government program is a continuation of a popular initiative accompanied by 600,000 signatures and supported by 900 organizations that demand the extraordinary regularization of the residence status of all immigrants without a residence permit in Spain.

Spain, along with Italy and Greece, is a gateway for migrants to Europe, mainly through the Canary Islands archipelago.


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