The Spanish government said that it will, for the first time, introduce a measure to recognize the "right" of foreign nationals without legal residency in the country to receive medical care.

"In the face of the wave of hatred, we guarantee everyone's right to healthcare," Health Minister Monica Garcia wrote on X after the plan was unveiled, referring to motions across other European nations to clamp down on irregular immigration.

She also referred to healthcare as an inherently universal "human right."

The regulation is designed to recognize a number of vulnerable groups who henceforth will be entitled to receive immediate care, regardless of their administrative status in Spain, including unaccompanied minors, pregnant women, victims of gender-based violence, victims of exploitation and trafficking, and applicants for international protection or stateless status.

The law explicitly includes the right of foreign women who are not officially residents in Spain to have a voluntary termination of pregnancy.

At a press conference, Migration Minister Elma Saiz said that the policy will extend to Spanish citizens returning to live in Spain after a prolonged absence as well as to Spanish citizens residing abroad who return to the country only on a temporary basis — as well as their accompanying family members.

The measure has already been approved by royal decree, which allows it to bypass a vote in parliament.

Read AlsoSpain: Half a million undocumented migrants in waiting

How is it supposed to work?

Those who apply to the scheme will have to prove first that they do not have access to health coverage elsewhere, and also demonstrate their residence in Spain.

This can be done by registering with the local council or, in the case of people who are unable to register, it can also be proven with documentation such as utility bills, social service documents or, in the case of children, school certificates.

According to the Ministry of Health, the application to use healthcare in Spain will activate a provisional document that will allow the applicant to receive healthcare from the outset, with a maximum period of three months to resolve the case into a permanent document.

Furthermore, if there is no response from the local administration within that timeframe, the application will be deemed to have been approved.

Once the right has been granted to an individual, it will not expire or be subject to renewal.

However, foreign nationals will lose their right to cover in Spain if they move away again for good. In case of a return as a regular immigrant, they will have to apply again.

In the event of a negative decision, the care received to date will be billed, though this will not be the case if the applicant subsequently proves that they did meet the requirements at the time of receiving such healthcare, and only later were disqualified.

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Why did Spain decide to extend healthcare to immigrants?

The latest developments come after, in January, Madrid had already unveiled a divisive plan to give residency and work permits to around 500,000 undocumented migrants who are already in the country.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez argued that immigrants were needed to fill gaps in Spain's workforce and also to counterbalance the solid trend towards an ageing population, which he says will disrupt the nation's pensions systems in the long term.

This measure applies to all foreigners who have arrived in the country before December 31, 2025, and have lived in Spain for at least five months at the time of application.

Another major prerequisite to qualify for this program is to have no criminal record in any country.

The program will exclude anyone coming to Spain after it was announced; however, Spain's right-wing believes that this program and its subsequent amendments — such as extending healthcare to migrants — will only encourage more irregular immigration to Spain.

Read AlsoSpain's new migrant regularization explained

What do opposition voices say?

The leader of the far-right Vox party, which is the third largest parliamentary group, Santiago Abascal, meanwhile described the government's decision to provide free healthcare to all immigrants as a "crime," comparing it to "opening the doors" of Spanish hospitals "to all of Africa." 

This would go on to generate "a brutal pull factor for the migrant invasion," Abascal added, referring to a widespread but misguided conspiracy theory which claims that Europe is facing some kind of major onslaught of migrants which could eventually make native Europeans a minority on the continent.

The vice president of Vox, Ignacio Garriga, meanwhile also rejected on the royal decree to guarantee public health care to irregular immigrants, saying that Spain is “not an NGO.” "We are not an NGO. We are not a charity. We are not the hospital of the world," Garriga said in a post on X.

Spain's current stance is largely in stark contrast to the rest of the European Union as well as the United States, where immigration has become a major bone of contention.

With deportation efforts being ramped up across much of the continent, Spain confronts far-right, anti-migrant trends by seemingly focusing on the benefits that immigrants can contribute to society -- despite being one of the main entry points for irregular migrants seeking to have a better life in Europe, along with Italy and Greece.

Read AlsoMigrant regularization in Spain: Sanchez' decree faces sharp criticism

with AFP, EFE