Amnesty is welcomed by migrants in Spain: "It will benefit us in every way"
Amnesty is welcomed by migrants in Spain: "It will benefit us in every way"
Dominguez, Juan
Diana from Peru claims that Spanish companies can currently take advantage of her.
Two years ago, Diana left her home country of Peru in search of security in her career and finances in Europe.
However, life has been challenging being an unauthorized immigrant in Spain. The 40-year-old has not been able to fulfill his aim of working in the tourism sector. Rather, she has survived by working sporadic jobs.It is challenging to work without residency documentation because employers can tell you one thing and then ask you to do something else, according to her. "It is difficult when they pay you less than what you committed to."It is stressful, you might be taken advantage of, and you might wind yourself sick and alone in addition to having no money.
For those who cannot provide residency documents to prospective landlords, access to various banking products and housing—which is experiencing a crisis in Spain due to skyrocketing rental costs—is severely constrained.
However, Diana and many others now have optimism after the Spanish government recently announced a plan to legalize the status of at least 500,000 migrants.It will benefit us in every manner imaginable," she says. "Because [these migrants] will be paying taxes, creating income, they will be able to invest, and they will be able to set up enterprises, it will also benefit the government."
Applications for the program, which will grant foreign nationals a one-year, renewable resident visa, will be accepted from the start of April through the end of June. Applicants must demonstrate that they have been in the nation for at least five months and that they have no criminal history.
Both legal and illegal foreign workers have a variety of functions in Spain's economy.
The government estimates that 500,000 migrants will apply for the program; however, a report leaked to the media by the police's National Centre for Immigration and Borders (CNIF) suggested that a more realistic estimate would be between 750,000 and 1.1 million.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has described immigrants as individuals "who have built the progress of this country alongside us," citing humanitarian motives for this move on behalf of the Socialist-led coalition government.
However, it also views the measure as extremely practical for a nation whose economy grew by almost 3% last year—a growth rate comparable to that of the UK, Germany, France, and Italy put together—and whose unemployment rate is at an 18-year low.Elma Saiz, Minister for Inclusion, Social Security, and Immigration, tells the BBC that foreign workers are crucial to Spain's macroeconomic achievements, including the country's robust and resilient labor market and GDP growth. She emphasizes that 14.1% of the 22 million registered workers in the nation are foreigners.
Saiz continues, "Since 2022, foreign workers have fuelled half of Spain's economic development." "This is about principles, about human rights, and, obviously, being cognizant that we confront different problems and that our effective economic management is producing outcomes."
Elma Saiz claims that immigrant workers are responsible for half of Spain's growth.
The central bank's 2024 assessment, which concluded that Spain would require almost 25 million migrants over the next three decades to maintain the country's economy and social security system, seemed to support the government's position.
Both legal and illegal immigrants are heavily represented in the hotel and senior care industries.
Government statistics show that thousands of unauthorized migrants and over 250,000 officially registered foreign workers are employed in the agricultural sector. The majority of laborers come from Latin America, Eastern Europe, and North Africa.Francisco José García Navarrete, a representative of the ASAJA farmers' association in Madrid, adds, "It would be a hardship for us if we did not have immigrant workers." He claims that while his organization is in favor of the government's regularization initiative, it is worried about how it will be carried out.As long as the legalization of immigrants results in them obtaining long-term contracts to work in rural areas, we support this new program," he says.
The CEOE, the major business employers' association, has also voiced widespread support for the policy, stating that "orderly" immigration is preferable. It does, however, object to the government's plan to implement the regularization by decree rather than letting parliament decide on it.
The idea is subject to harsher criticism in Spain's sharply divided political sphere, adding fuel to the already intense immigration debate between the left and right.According to Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative People's Party (PP), mass regularization is proof that there is no immigration policy.He estimated that "closer to a million people than 500,000" will apply for the program, saying that Spain is the nation in the European Union with the biggest growth in unregulated immigration over the past two years.
The government plan will have a "pull" impact, according to the far-right Vox.According to party head Santiago Abascal, "this half a million legalized migrants will attract millions more, who will exacerbate the collapse of healthcare, housing, and our security."
According to the administration, when regularization has a defined timeline, there is no chance of such a pull effect.
Both left-wing and conservative governments in Spain have previously carried out a number of comparable immigration legalization initiatives. For instance, in 2000–2001, the PP formalized the status of over 500,000 migrants, and in 2005, an earlier Socialist government legalized an additional 577,000.
However, the majority of other European nations are tightening their immigration policies at the same time that the present strategy is being enacted. Italy's government has authorized the use of navy vessels to prevent arrivals, while France and Germany have tightened regulations for newcomers to obtain residency.
Reducing immigration is a top aim for the government of the UK, one of Spain's only neighbors with a left-of-center government.
In this regard, the European Commission has issued a warning about Spain's policy, emphasizing the necessity of making sure that immigrants do not use it to enter other nations illegally.During the discussion of Spain's request, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner informed the European Parliament that obtaining a residence permit in the EU is not a blank check. "Decisions that negatively impact other members must be avoided by every state."
A group of foreign nationals gets ready for a class to learn about obtaining residence in the modest Madrid offices of Aculco, an organization that counsels migrants on legal and employment matters.
Attending a free event hosted by Aculco, a company that provides guidance to migrant workers
Among them is Manuel, a Peruvian who intends to apply for the regularization program. He used to work as a caregiver for the elderly, but after his application for asylum was denied, he lost his job and has been surviving on his savings ever since.Without residency, employers do not want to hire you, and if they do, they give you less than the minimum wage, he claims. He goes on to say that the regularization "will allow me to work and contribute to the social security system."Many people's life will be transformed by this," says Pilar Rodríguez, an immigration lawyer who conducts the session.This measure is also crucial for Spain because it will enable many people to maintain their standard of living and help Spaniards through their contributions to the social security system."
