More than 1.17 million undocumented immigrants living in Spain applied for the government’s extraordinary legalization process before the hard deadline closed on Tuesday, June 30. Authorities confirmed today that approximately 608,000 applicants have already received positive approvals, granting them legal residency and work permits initially valid for one year.
The extraordinary amnesty window opened on April 16, specifically targeting foreign nationals with no criminal record who entered Spain prior to December 31, 2025, and could prove continuous residence for at least five months. The final tally of 1,174,978 applicants shattered the government’s initial expectations, which estimated the policy would capture around half a million people.
Data released by the Spanish government highlights that Latin American nationals accounted for 67% of the total application pool. Colombian citizens represented the single largest group, making up 26% of all submissions.
Regionally, the requests were heavily concentrated in Spain’s economic and urban hubs. Catalonia: Lead the nation with 257,000 applications; Madrid: Followed with 202,000 files submitted; Valencian Community: Recorded 167,000 applicants.; Andalusia: Logged 161,000 immigrant requests.
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Immigrants who secured approval under this temporary wave must eventually transition into Spain’s standard, long-term regulatory frameworks under general immigration law once their initial one-year permit expires.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez strongly defended the sweeping regularizations this week, framing the policy as both a humanitarian necessity and a calculated boost for the domestic market.
Addressing European counterparts who expressed concerns over the move, Sánchez emphasized that immigration is a crucial driver for Spain’s economy—currently one of the fastest-growing in the European Union—noting that the aging nation faces stalled prosperity without an influx of new workers.
To address logistical integration, Sánchez introduced a concurrent €500 million Integration and Citizenship Plan to fund social services during its first year of execution. “Anyone who lives in our country and is contributing to its economic development deserves to have the same rights as any other citizen,” Sánchez remarked.
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While the massive regularization push secured widespread support from Spanish non-governmental organizations, trade unions, business associations, and the Catholic Church, it faced fierce condemnation from domestic right-wing and far-right opposition parties, as well as several neighboring EU member states wary of secondary migration flows across the borderless Schengen Zone.
