The Spanish government is preparing a comprehensive program to help recently granted legal status find employment, as part of a massive legalization initiative targeting approximately half a million undocumented workers. Madrid hopes this will support the country's economic growth and address the increasing needs of the labor market.
The plan, announced in January, aims to directly connect migrants with legal status to economic sectors experiencing labor shortages. According to Spanish authorities, this policy is intended to address the challenges of an aging population and strengthen the national economy with a younger workforce.
The Socialist-led coalition government defends this strategy despite growing criticism from far-right parties in Spain and elsewhere in Europe. Madrid believes that immigration is a key lever for maintaining the country's economic performance, which continues to outpace that of several of its European neighbors.
According to information relayed by the Spanish public television channel TVE, nearly 550,000 people have already submitted an application for regularization during the first month of the program, a figure slightly higher than the government's initial forecasts.
According to TVE, more than 91,000 temporary work permits have already been issued. However, the relevant ministry has not officially confirmed these figures to Reuters.
The case is also the subject of a legal and political battle. Far-right groups have appealed to the Supreme Court in an attempt to suspend the regularization program, denouncing an immigration policy deemed too permissive.
Spanish authorities maintain that they have the administrative capacity to process up to one million applications. The government now plans to work closely with several key sectors to distribute workers according to the country's economic needs.
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