SPAIN will grant legal status to potentially hundreds of thousands of immigrants living and working in the country without authorisation, Migration Minister Elma Saiz announced today.

Ms Saiz said the government will amend immigration law by expedited decree to grant up to one year of legal residency and permission to work to undocumented migrants.

The permits will apply to people who arrived before December 31 2025, can prove at least five months’ residence in Spain and have no criminal record.

“Today is a historic day,” Ms Saiz said.

The measure could benefit between 500,000 and 800,000 people, many from Latin America or Africa, who work in agriculture, tourism and service jobs that underpin Spain’s economy.

The decree bypasses a similar Bill stalled in parliament and follows a last-minute deal between the ruling Socialist Party and Podemos to shore up support for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Hundreds of migrant rights groups and prominent Catholic associations welcomed the news, which followed campaigning for a similar initiative in 2024.