More than one million undocumented migrants and asylum seekers in Spain have applied for legal status under a government regularization program. The initiative, which grants eligible applicants the right to live and work in the country, saw its registration period end on Tuesday.
The volume of applicants was double the original projection of 500,000 people when the socialist-led government launched the scheme in April. Most applicants are from Latin America. In the final weeks of the process, several non-governmental organisations urged undocumented migrants to register to ensure they could benefit from the mass regularization.
The program defies a broader European crackdown on irregular immigration. Prime Minister Sánchez has argued that immigrants are necessary to sustain Spain's economy, pensions, and welfare state, especially as the country faces an ageing population and depopulation in rural regions.