Spain’s amnesty drive brings 600,000 migrants into formal economy during application review
MADRID: Some 609,737 of the 1.17 million migrants in Spain who applied for legal status in its recent amnesty drive have obtained temporary work permits, government officials said on Thursday, enabling them to start work in the formal economy while their applications are under review.
The drive, which grants a one-year renewable residence permit to undocumented migrants who have lived in Spain for at least five months before the end of 2025 and have no criminal record, was open for applications from April 16 to June 30.
Further details, provided on Thursday by Secretary of State for Migration Pilar Cancela and Secretary of State for Social Security Borja Suárez, included:
The total number of applications was more than double the government’s initial estimate of 500,000, with most stemming from Latin American countries.
