Spain legalizes half a million immigrants, a policy very different from that of the United States

BARCELONA, Spain — Nariola Romo, 34, and her family immigrated to Spain from Colombia, but that wasn’t their original plan. Their goal was to travel to the United States, but they couldn’t get the two loans they needed to make the trip, so they instead sought a new life in Europe.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

“Things didn’t work out for us, and we thought it was God’s will that we didn’t get a chance to go, and well, here we are,” she said.

Now, as she is about to obtain legal status in Spain, she feels grateful for the turn her life has taken. “Look at how things are going in the United States with migrants. It seems like God didn’t want us to be there, because with everything that happened, we would have already been deported,” she said.

From right to left, Nariola Romo, her son Angelito, her husband Ángel, her daughter Claribel and her father Will, on the Barcelona metro. Marta Campabadal

In Spain, an extraordinary regularization process is underway and is expected to legalize the status of more than 500,000 undocumented immigrants.

If approved, the work and residence permit is valid for one year for adult immigrants, who will then have to prove employment to keep their permit. For minors, their status is regularized for five years.

That’s a contrast with the United States, where President Donald Trump — who said during the 2024 presidential campaign that undocumented immigrants were “poisoning the blood of the country” — has led a massive campaign to detain and deport immigrants and stem immigration.

In Spain, the deadline for applications is June 30 and the process is expected to last three months after submitting documents. The program, announced by the Spanish government in January, received more than 43,000 applications in just three days, when the application period opened on April 16. In one month, the number of applications had increased to 549,596.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the move was an act of “normalization” and that the immigrants who would benefit from it were already part of the daily lives of Spaniards.

Romo’s family is among those who hope to benefit from this measure.

“Fortunately, one day we learned through social media that a regularization process was underway, and from that moment we tried to make the time come quickly so that we could complete the process,” said Romo, who, with his family, applied for this allowance.

After two years in Barcelona and the refusal of asylum which left the family in limbo in November 2025, Romo, her husband, who works in construction, their two children aged 4 and 12, and her father requested regularization.

The family, originally from Barranquilla, owned several businesses and fled Colombia in 2024 for safety because they faced threats and extortion from criminal gangs, said Romo, a teacher by profession who worked in Spain in a warehouse and as a private tutor.

“To emigrate you have to be incredibly brave, to leave your home, your business, your job, your colleagues, your family, everything… I came with my life in a 10-kilo suitcase,” Romo said, adding that she felt lucky because “Spain is a country that welcomes immigrants.”

And although it was a difficult decision, Romo now feels at peace and believes he made the right choice. “I’m really, really happy as a mother to have my children here,” she said.

“I will be able to work and help my family”

The situation of Diadji Nguirane’s family is different. Nguirane and her partner Maimouna Gueye, both Senegalese, have three daughters born in Spain, and the massive regularization will only benefit her, since she and the girls already have legal status in the country.

Diadji Nguirane and his partner, Maimouna Gueye, in the living room of their house located in Terrassa, about 27 kilometers from Barcelona. Marta Campabadal

“I have been in Spain for two years and when I have my papers it will be very favorable because I will be able to work and help my family,” said Nguirane, who received confirmation a few days ago that his file was being processed.

Until now, Nguirane says his only option was to “work occasionally to help a friend, do maintenance tasks, but without a contract.”

As Nguirane cannot work legally, his partner, Gueye, supports the family financially. She cleans at a hospital in Terrassa, a town about 27 kilometers from Barcelona where they live. “I leave the house at 5 a.m. and he takes the girls to school,” Gueye said.

Once Nguirane obtains his legal license, Gueye hopes to be hired for sanitation work at the hospital while continuing to care for the children.

Nguirane’s family also seeks security and stability in Spain.

“Returning to Senegal is not in my plans because it is a country in which I have not lived, it is a country that I do not know, and every time I go there, even if it is for 15 days, it is difficult for me,” said Gueye.

The second major regularization in 20 years

To apply for regularization, immigrants must meet a certain number of conditions and provide documents.

In addition to a passport, immigrants must prove that they were in Spain before January 1, 2026 and that they had been in the country continuously for at least five months at the time of application, which they can prove through a registration certificate, medical records or proof of children’s schooling.

Immigrants must also provide proof – from their country of origin or wherever they have lived in the past five years – of a clean criminal record. In some cases, officials also request a certificate of vulnerability, which can be issued by social service agencies to verify the difficult circumstances the person is experiencing, such as difficulty accessing employment or housing, among other problems.

This is not the first time that Spain has chosen to regularize its undocumented population.

“This has already been done several times. The last time was 20 years ago with [the Zapatero government]. But it is a process that is not only taking place in Spain, but in every country in the world. … It’s a common practice,” said Verónica Jaramillo, a lawyer at the Bayt al-Thaqafa Foundation, a Barcelona-based organization that supports migrants.

Although there are no official figures, the #RegularizacionYa movement, which is leading the current regularization process, estimates that 500,000 immigrants were undocumented in Spain. At the same time, think tank Funcas estimates that this number would have risen to more than 800,000 by 2025.

Regularization can benefit not only immigrants but also economies with aging populations, such as Spain. The country’s aging index reached a record high last year, with 148 people over 64 for every 100 people under 16.

According to Jaramillo, any “self-respecting” country should do what Spain is doing, that is, increase more people who can contribute to its social security system.

“It’s absolutely and totally utilitarian, yes,” Jaramillo said, but “that’s the reason for regularization.”

However, the measure faced fierce opposition from right-wing parties, who called it irresponsible and a way to further collapse a country whose some public services are already under strain.

Isabel Díaz Ayuso, conservative and president of the Madrid region, said the measure to legalize immigrants was a way to “manipulate the census”, “culturally transform Spain” and “sabotage the elections”. However, immigrants who benefit from the legalization process will not be able to vote.

For the Romo and Nguirane families, the hope is that mass regularization will change their prospects for life in a country where they seek not only to settle, but also to put down roots.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos