Migration Minister Elma Saiz told reporters on Tuesday that Spain is introducing new immigration policies to tackle labor shortages and strengthen its welfare system. The government intends to grant legal status to around 300,000 undocumented migrants each year for the next three years. This reform is designed to simplify the processes for work and residency permits, allowing migrants to contribute more effectively to the Spanish economy.
Unlike many of its European counterparts, such as Italy, Spain, under a leftist minority coalition government, has largely embraced migrants.
“Spain must choose between being an open, prosperous nation or a closed, impoverished one, and we have chosen the former,” said Saiz, emphasizing that the country needs around 250,000 to 300,000 foreign workers annually “to sustain our welfare state.”
The reform streamlines and shortens legal and administrative processes for work and residence permits, enabling migrants to register as both self-employed and employed workers, while also offering additional labor rights protections.
