Spain makes legal amendments to regularize migrants, in light of workforce shortage

The Spanish Ministry of Integration, Social Security and Immigration, headed by Jose Luis Escriva is working to regularize the situation of irregular migrants, in order to integrate them into sectors that are experiencing a large labor shortage.

Spanish media reported that the Iberian government will make amendments to the immigration law, in order to regularize the status of irregular immigrants who possess professional skills in some sectors, chosen for regulatory reform.

Reports indicated that the amendments will take effect within six months, and that foreign students will be allowed to work in the Iberian country, and obtain temporary residency papers.

According to unofficial statistics, there are more than 500,000 foreign irregular migrants in Spain. The government is contemplating to change the contracting model for foreigners residing in their countries of origin to bring in multiple batches of seasonal workers across several fields, including construction and transportation, instead of only agriculture.

There is a large number of irregular migrants originating from Morocco in Spain, who in turn will benefit from the new regulatory draft linked to the immigration law that has been in force in the Iberian territories for decades.

According to Spanish police data, in 2021, 40% of irregular migrants arrived on the Spanish coast from Morocco, 30% from Algeria, and 30% from sub-Saharan countries.

Spanish authorities are aiming to revive its crisis-stricken national economy from the repercussions of the pandemic, in parallel with settling the irregular migrant crisis that has always burdened it in recent years, by exploiting foreign labor that has professional experience in the labor market.

Government sources told Spanish newspaper, El Pais, that the amendments are not final at this time, but may be subject to other changes, which will be discussed in the next ministerial council, in the presence of the various government sectors concerned with immigration law.

The executive authority in Madrid was seeking to return irregular migrants to their countries of origin, including Moroccans, and for this purpose, it had signed several partnership agreements with neighboring African countries to repel the intense “migration waves” experienced by Spain recently.