The process of legalizing the residence of immigrants in Spain, initiated by the government of Pedro Sánchez, could lead to an increase in their number by more than three million within five years, the Madrid daily ABC reported. The newspaper notes that people who regularize their status will then bring their relatives to Spain.
As ABC emphasizes, the legalization of residence will trigger a family reunification mechanism. People who regularize their status will then seek to bring their closest relatives to Spain. The newspaper cited police sources, according to which the number of immigrants could consequently increase by more than three million over the next five years.
Applications exceeded government expectations
The scale of interest in the program has already significantly exceeded government assumptions. According to government data, by the end of June around 1.2 million applications for residence legalization had been submitted. As many as 67 percent of applicants come from Central and South America.
Meanwhile, the government initially estimated that around 500,000 immigrants would take advantage of this option – more than twice fewer than the number of applications submitted so far.
Police sources cited by ABC also reported concerns from the security services regarding the activity of mafias involved in human trafficking. According to the services, these groups may attempt to smuggle additional immigrants into Europe, exploiting fake family ties with people whose status has been regularized.
Legalizations in the history of Spain
Legalization processes are not new in Spain and have already been carried out under previous governments. The first was undertaken by the cabinet of the socialist Felipe González (1982-96), but similar measures were also introduced by the right-wing government of José María Aznar (1996-2004). The largest legalization campaign to date was carried out in 2005 by the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero – more than 575,000 people benefited from it.
Data show what a large proportion of Spain’s society is already made up of foreign-born residents. Out of around 50 million inhabitants, approximately one fifth was born outside the country’s borders. Many of them come from Colombia, Venezuela, and Morocco.