Spain's New Amnesty Program Opens, Drawing Long Lines from Undocumented Migrants

Long lines formed at registration points across Spain this week as applications opened under a new amnesty program expected to allow at least 500,000 undocumented migrants to gain legal status to stay and work in the country. People waited in a line to enter the Spanish Commission For Refugee Aid (CEAR) in Madrid, Spain, on April 22, 2026, to apply for regularized immigration status under the amnesty program approved by Spain's left-wing government.

The program came into effect this month, offering undocumented migrants a one-year renewable residence permit if they prove they have lived in Spain for at least five months and have no criminal record.

The application window opened on Monday and runs until the end of June. Spain's government says the program will likely cover around 500,000 people. The Spanish think tank Funcas says there are likely some 840,000 undocumented people working in Spain.

The National Center for Immigration and Borders (CNIF), part of Spain's national police force, says between 750,000 and 1 million people in the country could apply. Spain is moving to give legal status to roughly 500,000 undocumented migrants under a new plan approved by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government.

Undocumented migrants in Spain overwhelmingly come from Latin American countries such as Colombia and Venezuela, but there are also many from Africa and Asia.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has framed the policy as both a moral and economic necessity, arguing that many undocumented workers are already embedded in Spain's economy and working in key sectors without legal protections. Writing in The New York Times earlier this year, Sanchez contrasted his approach with more restrictive immigration policies elsewhere, stating: 'Some leaders have chosen to hunt them down and deport them through operations that are both unlawful and cruel.