Author
Both refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection benefit from a residence permit of 5 years once they are granted status.[1] The responsible authority for issuing the residence permit is the Police of Aliens’ Law and Documentation.
There are no difficulties systematically encountered in the issuance and renewal of those residence permits in practice.
The issuance of residence permits for humanitarian reasons is foreseen under the Immigration Law. This residence permit has a one-year duration.
The law foresees also the possibility to request other kinds of residence and work permits under different conditions and requirements (see National protection statuses and return procedure).
Regarding the applicable status to resettled beneficiaries of international protection, an important decision was issued in December 2020. The High Court (Tribunal Supremo) established that refugees resettled in Spain must keep their status as refugees. It therefore reverts the decision adopted by the previous Tribunal, denying recognition of the refugee status to four Syrian refugees resettled to Spain in 2015, while granting them subsidiary protection.[2]
In 2024, a total of 18,396 residence permits were granted to beneficiaries of international protection and statelessness, which represents a 1% increase compared to the previous year. The main nationalities of those who obtained a residence permit for international protection or statelessness are Malian (9,114 permits), Syrian (1,260) and Nicaraguan (1,170).[3]
In September 2024, the organisation CEAR denounced the obstacles – in terms of the documentation required and long waiting times up to 1 year- that migrants and asylum seekers face in enrolling to the municipal register (padrón municipal) in Valencia and the negative consequences this has on their possibility to access basic rights (i.e. education, health, public housing, vocational trainings, etc.).[4] The Ombudsperson of the Autonomous Community of Valencia (Síndic des Greuges) opened an investigation on the issue.[5]
With the aim of denouncing the lack of access to basic rights (i.e. health, education, financial support like the unemployment subsidies, etc.) that migrants face for the impossibility to enrol in the municipality register, and to recall the public administration that the enrolment is a right, in October a coalition of sixteen groups of Madrid launched the campaign Invisibles, padrón por derecho.[6]
Regularisation of undocumented migrants
Following the COVID-19 outbreak, many NGOs called upon the Government to regularise all undocumented migrants in Spain, to guarantee their access to rights and services.[7]
With the aim of promoting a people’s legislative initiative to regularise 500,000 persons by collecting 500,000 signatures, a group of organisations (including a political party) joined to form the platform “ESencialES”.[8] On December 2022, the campaign reached 700,000 signatures that were submitted to the Office for the Electoral Roll, in order to start the Parliamentary procedure. In May 2023 the Platform ESencialES presented the popular initiative to the Congress.[9] In March 2024, the Congress retook the discussion of the proposal, and voted in favour of it in April.[10] According to the promoters of this law proposal, the regularisation of migrants could generate between €790 million and 950 million a year.[11] In addition, based on an estimation made by NGOs working with undocumented migrants, around 500,000 migrants live in an irregular situation in Spain.[12]
Due to the lack of support to the initiative at the Congress by some political parties and the possibility to approve it, the political parties Podemos and Sumar asked the government to continue with the legislative adoption of the regularisation initiative.[13] Caritas and other religious organisations continued to ask for an extraordinary regularisation procedure for foreign nationals in Spain.[14] At the end of the year, the State Secretary for Migration also urged to debate the proposal in Parliament.[15]
In November 2024, the Government adopted a new Regulation of the Immigration Law, officially aimed at improving the integration of migrants according to three main paths for regularisation: work, training and family ties.[16] The reform entered into force on 20 May 2025, and it aims at regularising 300,000 persons.[17] In addition, it simplifies the requirements for foreign nationals to obtain residence and work permits, and foresees the regularisation of asylum seekers whose application was rejected, by establishing that the period they have been in Spain as asylum applicants will not count for the issuing of the residence permit for ‘arraigo’, and that just the period after the denial of the asylum application will be taken into account.[18] While welcoming the new reform, different organisations (i.e. Accem, CEAR, APDHA, Caritas, the Spanish Bar Association, etc.) observed that it could have had more significant impact and there were several missed opportunities; for example, humanitarian visas allowing people in need of international protection to apply for asylum without entering irregularly in Spain could have been introduced, or the possibility for asylum seekers to regularise their situation while still waiting for the asylum decision could have been granted. In addition, despite the adoption of the new Regulation of the Immigration Law, CEAR called the Government to continue in the assessment and adoption of the legislative initiative on regularisation, for which a proposal is undergoing the parliamentary procedure.[19] The trade union UGT warned on the risk for asylum applicants to lose their work permits and called the government to find solutions accordingly.[20]
In May 2025, when the reform entered into force, different NGOs observed it left room for improvements.[21] Similarly, the Platform RegularizaciónYa highlighted having informed the Government of the mistakes and problems deriving from the reform already before its adoption.[22] In order to limit negative impacts of the reform for denied asylum seekers, the Government tried to speed up the parliamentary procedure of the law proposal on regularisation.[23] The political party PSOE proposed to regularise those migrants who arrived to Spain before the 31 December 2024, and in June 2025 it informed to be open to allow regularisation of those arrived in Spain before 31 March 2025, giving priority to asylum seekers and migrant children.[24] The Platform RegularizaciónYa suggested the PSOE to adopt a law decree for the regularisation in case the law proposal on regularisation undergoing the parliamentary procedure should not obtain the necessary votes to be adopted.[25]
The negative effects of the reform for denied asylum seekers and the risk to fall into irregularity have been reported so far.[26] A thematic report on unaccompanied and accompanied children in Spain published in May 2025 by the Spanish Ombudsperson warned on the risk that many children face of falling into irregularity because of the denial of the asylum applications of their parents.[27] The Platform for Childhood expressed the same concerns on the negative impact of the reform for migrant children.[28] During the same month, the State Secretary for Migration at the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration adopted an instruction to clarify certain aspects of the reform.[29] In June, Caritas called on the Job Commission at the Congress to adopt the law proposal on regularisation.[30]
In January 2025, different NGOs challenged at the Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo) the reform of the Regulation of Immigration Law, specifically the provisions establishing the incompatibility between the international protection procedure and the procedure for the residence permits on ‘arraigo’ basis. In May 2025, the Supreme Court admitted an appeal lodged by different organisations (Extranjeristas en Red, Coordinadora de Barrios and Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de España) which considered that the reform is contrary to different international instruments.[31]
In April, the political party Sumar submitted a law proposal to the Congress, with the aim of removing the obstacles that the new Immigration Regulation introduced to asylum seekers, and to ask to speed up the regularisation of around 200,000 asylum seekers and to guarantee their rights.[32]
In July, the organisation Andalucía Acoge launched the campaign #ILoveRegular to call for the adoption of appropriate measures to foster access of migrants to regularity.[33]
Whereas some EU countries were announcing measures to tighten their borders against migrants, in October 2024 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced measures to facilitate migrants’ settlement in Spain, underling the importance of migrants for the growing of Spanish economy.[34]
In January 2026, the government opened to public consultation the draft text of the extraordinary regularisation measures to integrate foreign nationals already in Spain, with the aim of collecting inputs from different stakeholders before its final adoption. The aim is to provide an immediate and guaranteed response to the situation of hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals who are already in Spain. The authorisation granted will be for residence and to work in any sector and throughout the national territory. [35]
According to the proposal, foreign nationals who are in Spain and arrived before 31 December 2025 can apply for regularisation. Applications must be submitted before 30 June 2026. It will be essential not to have a criminal record in Spain or in the countries where the foreign national has resided during the last five years, not to be prohibited from entering Spanish territory, and to pay the corresponding administrative fee (the amount is still to be determined). The measure provides for two routes to regularisation. The first is regularisation due to exceptional circumstances, which is considered the general route. In this case, in addition to meeting the common requirements, it will be necessary to prove at least five months of continuous residence in Spain at the time of application. In addition, at least one of the following conditions must also be met: having worked in Spain or presenting an employment contract; living with immediate family members, such as school-age children, adult children who are dependent due to health or disability reasons, or first-degree ascendants; or being in a situation of vulnerability as certified by social services or third sector organisations. Irregular administrative status itself is understood to be a situation of vulnerability. The second route is aimed at applicants for international protection who have submitted their application before 31 December 2025. In this case, they must meet the general requirements, but they are not required to prove the additional circumstances provided for in the general route.[36] Applications are expected to be submitted in early April 2026, once the mandatory procedures for processing the Royal Decree have been completed.[37]
Different organisations and migrant groups (i.e. CEAR, Platform of the Third Sector[38], Spanish Bishops’ Conference, etc.) celebrated the initiative.[39] The political party Podemos informed it will request the government to allow regularised migrants to vote, and to introduce legal reforms to shorten the time required for naturalisation.[40] Similarly, the Economic and Social Committee advocated for the regularisation of migrants, underlining that it represents the only manner ‘to incorporate a population with all its rights and duties’ and to eliminate the ‘harmfulness’ caused by being undocumented.[41]
The Spanish Prime Minister defended the plan to regularise half a million undocumented migrants in responding to critics to the measure, by stating that Spain chose the path of ‘dignity, community and justice’ in migration management. In addition, regularisation represents a measure to counter labour shortage and boost growth. The European Commission expressed reservations on the proposal, as it considered it could conflict with the European Union’s current policy on migration.[42]
As soon as the regularisation measure was announced, several organisations working with migrants and refugees, as well as the trade union Comisiones Obreras, warned of possible cases of fraud by supposed collaborators who offer to speed up the paperwork in exchange for money.[43]
The new draft proposal, which includes the inputs received during the public consultation phase, introduced the provision according to which the government will verify, through a police report, that migrants who wish to access extraordinary regularisation do not pose a threat to public order or public health.[44] In addition, the government announced that Catalan or Basque will not be required to access the extraordinary regularisation, although knowledge of the ‘official languages’ will be required for subsequent renewals in certain circumstances.[45] In March, the government also adopted an order for the creation of an electronic register of collaborators, a new tool that will allow trade unions and NGOs working on migration and international protection to submit and manage for free the administrative procedure for regularisation for migrants and refugees before the administration. The register is attached to the State Secretary for Migration at the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.[46] In addition, it was announced that specific desk to submit applications would be opened at the Post offices and at the Social Security offices.[47] While acknowledging the need of specialised legal assistance to assist migrants in the regularisation process, the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration agreed with the Spanish Council of Law Professionals (Consejo General de la Abogacía Española) to cooperate in publicising the regularisation process and in jointly organising information sessions, round-table discussions and public awareness campaigns, with the aim of providing clear and accessible information about the process.[48]
Following the flooding in Valencia at the end of October 2024 and the damages occurred, different stakeholders (i.e. migrant movement in Valencia, the trade union Comisiones Obreras) called on the Government to dispose an extraordinary regularisation of migrants in an irregular situation living in the area affected by the flooding.[49] In February 2025, the Government announced the regularisation of 25,000 migrants affected by the flooding.[50] According to the information released by the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, 95% of these applications received a positive result.[51] In addition, the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration issued an internal note to clarify that it is not necessary for asylum applicants to withdraw from the asylum procedure before applying for the regularisation due to the flooding, as the procedure is to be considered an exceptional one, so the two procedures are not incompatible.[52]
[1] Article 34(3) Aliens Regulation.
[2] Tribunal Supremo, Decision nº 1773/2020, 17 December 2020, available at: https://bit.ly/3p4L7Mc; Poder Judicial, ‘El Tribunal Supremo fija que las personas acogidas en España a través de un programa de reasentamiento del Gobierno tienen la condición de refugiados’, 25 January 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/39hiWoW.
[3] Observatorio Permanente de la Inmigración, Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘Flujo de autorizaciones de residencia concedidas a personas extranjeras. Año 2024’, 7 July 2025, available here.
[4] Valencia Plaza, ‘CEAR denuncia los “obstáculos” para acceder al padrón municipal y la escasez de recursos para migrantes’, 17 September 2024, available here.
[5] Cadena Ser, ‘El CEAR denuncia retrasos de hasta un año para empadronar en València a personas vulnerables’, 17 September 2024, available here.
[6] Público, ‘Pedir cita médica, cobrar una ayuda o ir al colegio: el padrón, una zancadilla para las personas migrantes en España’, 25 October 2024, available here.
[7] Europa Press, ‘CEAR reclama al Gobierno que regularice “con carácter urgente” a las personas migrantes’, 2 April 2020, available at: https://bit.ly/3cjXiCr.
[8] ESencialES, ‘¡500.000 firmas EsencialES para la Regularización Extraordinaria de 500.000 personas EsencialES en España!’, available at: https://bit.ly/3JprwSF.
[9] El Diario, ‘El movimiento por una regularización extraordinaria de migrantes presenta su propuesta de ley tras lograr llegar al Congreso’, 10 May 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/y2ry6rh3; El Diario, ‘La ILP por la Regularización avanza dentro de un Parlamento agitado por el año electoral’, 8 May 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/ey2tkspv.
[10] El País, ‘Regularizar para transformar un modelo migratorio roto en España’, 12 March 2024, available at: https://tinyurl.com/mw7tmm3w; Congreso de los Diputados, ‘El Congreso inicia la tramitación de la Proposición de Ley de iniciativa popular para una regularización extraordinaria para personas extranjeras en España’, 9 April 2024, available here; Euractiv, ‘Spain takes first step to regularise half a million migrants’, 10 April 2024, available here; El Diario, ‘Una regularización extraordinaria de migrantes aumentaría la recaudación fiscal y daría oxígeno a las pensiones’, 16 September 2024, available here; Qué, ‘Lograr la regularización de migrantes, una cuestión de voluntad política según en Comú’, 30 August 2024, available here.
[11] Euractiv, ‘Spain considers regularising hundreds of thousands of migrants’, 22 October 2024, available here.
[12] The Objective, ‘El Gobierno quiere regularizar a los inmigrantes irregulares que se formen en sectores en los que no hay trabajadores’, 3 June 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3nXnnyQ.
[13] El País, ‘La esperanza de una regularización masiva de inmigrantes se esfuma en el Congreso’, 18 September 2025, available here; El Diario, ‘Sumar quiere acelerar la regularización extraordinaria para enfrentar el relato de la extrema derecha sobre inmigración’, 5 October 2025, available here.
[14] Cáritas, ‘Entidades de Iglesia piden la aprobación de una regularización extraordinaria que ponga en el centro la dignidad de las personas migrantes’, 1 October 2025, available here.
[15] Diario Siglo XXI, ‘El Gobierno llama a debatir la ILP para regularizar migrantes en España y reta a sus detractores a que se “retraten”’, 19 December 2025, available here.
[16] Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘El Gobierno aprueba un nuevo Reglamento de Extranjería para mejorar la integración de las personas migrantes a través de tres palancas: trabajo, formación y familia’, 19 November 2024, available here.
[17] El Diario, ‘El Gobierno aprueba un nuevo reglamento de la Ley de Extranjería que prevé regularizar a unos 300.000 migrantes al año’, 19 November 2024, available here; El Diario, ‘Qué incluye el nuevo reglamento de la Ley de Extranjería y cómo facilitará la regularización de miles de migrantes’, 19 November 2024, available here.
[18] 20 minutos, ‘Nuevo reglamento de extranjería: los plazos para solicitar la nacionalidad española, el permiso de trabajo y la residencia’, 20 November 2024, available here.
[19] Europa Press, ‘Accem y CEAR aplauden el nuevo Reglamento de la Ley de Extranjería pero lamentan que no introduzca visados humanitarios’, 19 November 2024, available here; Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos Andalucía, ‘APDHA lamenta que la reforma del Reglamento de Extranjería se realice en base a criterios utilitaristas y mercantilistas’, 21 November 2024, available here; Cáritas, ‘Las entidades sociales ven luces y sombras en la reforma del Reglamento de Extranjería’, 25 November 2024, available here; Consejo General de la Abogacía Española, ‘Nuevo reglamento de extranjería: ¿Una oportunidad perdida?’, 20 November 2024, available here; El Salto Diario, ‘Personas solicitantes de asilo, las grandes olvidadas en la reforma del Reglamento de Extranjería’, 28 November 2024, available here.
[20] UGT, ‘UGT pide al Gobierno soluciones para las personas solicitantes de asilo que pueden perder la habilitación para trabajar con el nuevo reglamento de extranjería’, 2 April 2025, available here.
[21] Red Acoge, ‘Las entidades sociales insisten en que el Reglamento de Extranjería tiene margen de mejora’, 20 May 2025, available here; CEAR, ‘Las entidades sociales insisten en que el Reglamento de Extranjería tiene margen de mejora’, 20 May 2025, available here.
[22] El Salto Diario, ‘Regularización Ya señala que ya advirtió de todos los errores del nuevo Reglamento de extranjería’, 22 May 2025, available here.
[23] El Diario, ‘El Gobierno intenta arreglar in extremis los efectos del reglamento de extranjería que empuja a la irregularidad a miles de solicitantes de asilo’, 19 May 2025, available here.
[24] Europa Press, ‘El PSOE propone regularizar a los migrantes que hayan llegado a España antes del 31 de diciembre de 2024’, 20 May 2025, available here; Huffinghton Post, ‘El PSOE plantea ir más allá de la ILP y regularizar a migrantes llegados a España antes de 2025’, 20 May 2025, available here; Europa Press, ‘El Gobierno se abre a ampliar la fecha de regularización de migrantes hasta marzo de 2025’, 10 June 2025, available here; El País, ‘El Gobierno negocia una regularización flexible de inmigrantes con niños y solicitantes de asilo como prioridad’, 9 June 2025, available here.
[25] Europa Press, ‘Regularización Ya propone al PSOE aprobar por real decreto la regularización extraordinaria si no logra los votos’, 28 May 2025, available here.
[26] El Diario, ‘El nuevo reglamento de extranjería ha empujado a la irregularidad a decenas de solicitantes de asilo: “Nos obliga a perder los papeles y el trabajo”’, 26 April 2025, available here.
[27] Defensor del Pueblo, ‘Niñas y niños extranjeros en España solos o acompañados’, 11 May 2025, available here.
[28] Plataforma de Infancia, ‘Las organizaciones de infancia muestran su preocupación por el impacto de la reforma del Reglamento de Extranjería en la infancia migrante no acompañada’, 20 May 2025, available here.
[29] Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, Secretaría de Estado de Migraciones, ‘Instrucciones SEM 1/2025 sobre las autorizaciones de residencia temporal por circunstancias excepcionales por razón de arraigo previstas en el reglamento de extranjería, aprobado por el real decreto 1155/2024, de 19 de noviembre’, 13 May 2025, available here.
[30] Cáritas, ‘Cáritas pide ante la Comisión de Trabajo del Congreso que se apruebe la ILP para la regularización extraordinaria de personas extranjeras’, 18 June 2025, available here.
[31] Confilegal, ‘El Supremo decidirá si el nuevo Reglamento de Extranjería vulnera derechos fundamentales’, 18 May 2025, available here.
[32] Europa Press, ‘Sumar pide en el Congreso agilizar la regularización de cerca de 200.000 solicitantes de asilo y garantizar sus derechos’, 18 April 2025, available here; La Vanguardia, ‘Sumar pide al Gobierno no poner trabas a los solicitantes de asilo para acceder al arraigo’, 16 April 2025, available here.
[33] Andalucía Acoge, ‘I love regular’, July 2025, available here.
[34] Reuters, ‘Spain’s Sanchez touts benefits of migration as European neighbours tighten borders’, 9 October 2024, available here.
[35] Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘El Gobierno sube a audiencia pública el texto de la regularización extraordinaria para integrar a personas extranjeras que ya están en España’, 27 January 2026, available here; Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘Preguntas y respuestas. REGULARIZACIÓN’, January 2026, available here; El País, ‘El Gobierno pacta con Podemos aprobar una regularización extraordinaria de inmigrantes’, 26 January 2026, available here.
[36] Accem, ‘Regularización 2026: información práctica para personas migrantes en España’, 18 February 2026, available here; The Objective, ‘Miles de extranjeros con el asilo denegado por España podrán ser regularizados ahora’, 9 February 2026, available here; El País, ‘El gran dilema de los solicitantes de asilo político ante la regularización del Gobierno, 29.1.26, available here.
[37] Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘El Gobierno sube a audiencia pública el texto de la regularización extraordinaria para integrar a personas extranjeras que ya están en España’, 27 January 2026, available here.
[38] Plataforma del tercer Sector, https://www.plataformatercersector.es/
[39] Plataforma del Tercer Sector, ‘La Plataforma del Tercer Sector celebra la aprobación de la regularización extraordinaria de personas migrantes’, 27 January 2026, available here; Conferencia Episcopal, ‘Nota de prensa sobre el inicio de un proceso para la regularización extraordinaria de personas migrantes’, 27 January 2026, available here; Público, ‘Los colectivos de migrantes celebran el acuerdo de regularización extraordinaria: “Es de justicia”’, 27 January 2026, available here; CEAR, ‘CEAR celebra la regularización de personas migrantes por ser un paso decisivo para garantizar derechos’, 29 January 2026, available here; CEAR, ‘La regularización de personas migrantes, un paso decisivo para garantizar derechos’, 29 January 2026, available here.
[40] Podemos pedirá al Gobierno que los migrantes regularizados puedan votar y una reforma legal que acorte los plazos de nacionalización’, 2 February 2026, available here.
[41] El Diario, ‘El Consejo Económico y Social aboga por regularizar migrantes: “Es dramático y un despilfarro para el país”’, 3 March 2026, available here.
[42] The Guardian, ‘Spanish PM defends plans to regularise half a million undocumented migrants’, 2. February 2026, available here; Euro News, ‘Exclusive: EU Commission balks at Sánchez’s regularisation of undocumented migrants’, 10 February 2026, available here; Euronews, ‘Spain bets on migrants to counter labour shortage and boost growth’, 1 October 2025, available here.
[43] Cadena Ser, ‘Estafas a migrantes ante el anuncio de regularización: “No paguen nada”’, 9 February 2026, available here; La Tribuna de Ciudad Real, ‘CCOO alerta de intentos de estafas a migrantes’, 17 March 2026, available here.
[44] La Sexta, ‘El Gobierno comprobará con un informe policial que los migrantes solicitantes de regularización no suponen ninguna amenaza’, 20 February 2026, available here.
[45] Siglo XXI, ‘El Gobierno aclara que catalán o euskera no serán necesarios para regularizarse pero los incluye para renovaciones’, 20 February 2026, available here.
[46] Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘Migraciones abre el registro de colaboradores de extranjería para que sindicatos y organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro ayuden en la regularización’, 9 March 2026, available here; Europa Press, ‘El Gobierno crea un registro para que sindicatos y ONG tramiten expedientes de extranjería en nombre de migrantes’, 5 March 2026, available here.
[47] El País, ‘La regularización de migrantes tendrá ventanillas propias en las oficinas de Correos y de la Seguridad Social’, 23 March 2026, available here.
[48] El Derecho, ‘El CGAE, colaborador esencial de la próxima regularización de extranjeros’, 1 April 2026, available here.
[49] El Salto Diario, ‘El movimiento migrante valenciano exige otra regularización extraordinaria tras la DANA’, 18 December 2024, available here; Noticias Obreras, ‘CCOO pide al Gobierno una regularización temporal para las personas trabajadoras migrantes afectadas por la DANA’, 13 November 2024, available here.
[50] El País, ‘El Gobierno regularizará a 25.000 inmigrantes afectados por la dana’, 10 February 2025, available here.
[51] Servimedia, ‘Cerca de 23.000 inmigrantes han solicitado la regularización extraordinaria para víctimas de la dana’, 16 April 2025, available here.
[52] El Diario, ‘Los solicitantes de asilo afectados por la DANA podrán pedir la regularización sin desistir antes de su petición de protección’, 21 February 2025, available here.