The Spanish government will legalize the residency status of 300,000 undocumented migrants per year over the next three years, news agency Reuters reported on Tuesday (November 19).

Migration Minister Elma Saiz made the announcement saying that the mass legalization process is part of the country's strategy to augment its labor force and stave off the negative impact of an ageing population. Saiz added that sustaining Spain's welfare state will require about 250,000 to 300,000 tax-paying foreign workers a year.

Under the new plans, the government plans to shorten and simplify legal and administrative procedures for work and residence permits. Migrants will reportedly be allowed to register either as self-employed or salaried workers, providing them with additional labor protection rights guarantees.

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The Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM), a network of organizations advancing the rights of undocumented migrants, welcomed the news.

"Regularization is a life-changing event. Once regularized, a person can work with a regular contract and go to the doctor when they are sick. They can go for a coffee or do something as ordinary as taking the bus without worrying it could lead to a life-changing confrontation with law enforcement. They can stand up for themself and others when someone tries to abuse or exploit them, without fearing it will lead to detention and deportation," Laetitia van der Vennet, Senior Advocacy Officer in charge of regularization policies for PICUM, told InfoMigrants in an email.

"Living and growing up undocumented means living under stress and uncertainty; with a secure residence permit, people are able to breathe again, plan their lives and build their future," van der Vennet added.

According to government estimates, there are approximately, 600,000 people are undocumented immigrants in Spain, one of the highest rates in the European Union. 

Spain: outlier among European neighbors

The announcement comes on the commitment of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to effectively manage migration and employ it as an economic strategy.

Spain has emerged as an outlier among its European neighbors who are bent on managing migration by closing its borders and tightening border controls.

Additionally, unlike some European countries who expressed their approval when Italy started sending the first batch of asylum seekers to reception centers in Albania in October, Sanchez said that he is against outsourcing the processing of asylum applications outside the EU.

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Spain: economic growth propelled by migrants

Spain has emerged as the fastest-growing economy in the EU. Data from the Spanish statistical office reveals that the county's GDP overall growth in 2023 was roughly 2 percent, outpacing the growth in the Eurozone which lagged behind at about 0.7 percent.

Digitalization as well as growth in investments and private consumption were cited as factors behind the country's robust economic performance, with immigrant labor also seen as a major contributing factor.

Propelled by a shared language and culture, a wave of skilled immigrants from Latin America has closed labor gaps in the technology and hospitality sectors. An estimated 39 percent of new Spanish citizens were born in Latin America.

According to data, the foreign-born population in Spain now accounts for 18 percent, while the average in the EU is 13 percent.

While immigrant labor traditionally filled low-wage blue-collar jobs like construction and domestic work, job growth for migrants is now seen in other industries such as technology and science.

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Mental health starts with residence papers

Undocumented migrants are those who do not have a recognized legal right to reside in a country. They include those who have entered a country irregularly and have failed to access regularization, those who have overstayed their visas, and rejected asylum seekers.

A study by PICUM examined the correlation between mental health and residence status. The study entitled, “For Undocumented Migrants, Mental Health Starts with Residence Papers” shows that undocumented migrants experience higher levels of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to both the general population and documented migrants.

Underlying the mental stress of undocumented migrants is the constant fear of being checked in public spaces and then possibly being deported for not having legal residency papers. Being asked to provide documentation about their migration journey can also have the effect of recreating the trauma of the journey.  The constant fear of being caught and deported, for instance through random checks in public spaces, leads to further stress, anxiety, depression, and physical illness for many.

Other studies have pointed to occupational downgrading or the loss in occupational status resulting from working a job that is below their academic credentials because of their irregular residence status as another source of mental stress for undocumented migrants.

“Being undocumented brings its own mental health burden. Lots can be done to alleviate this mental health burden, like decriminalizing support to undocumented people or ensuring they won’t face detention and deportation when they access health care and other public services...Ultimately, we can only hope to strengthen their mental health if we stop fighting people in migration and prioritize inclusion and access to secure residence permits,” Louise Bonneau, Advocacy Officer at PICUM told InfoMigrants.

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