With the Sánchez government finalising a decree that could grant legal status to an estimated 500,000 undocumented residents, migrants from Honduras, Peru, Colombia and Romania told EFE they see the move as a lifeline after years of precarious, informal employment.(efe.com)
Interviewees described obstacles ranging from denial of rental contracts to wage theft and workplace harassment. Many hold degrees or vocational certificates but have been locked into under-the-table domestic or hospitality jobs. One asylum-seekers’ representative called the regularisation “dignity, sense and economic common-sense,” noting acute labour shortages in Spain’s agri-food and manufacturing sectors.
![Undocumented migrants welcome Spain’s upcoming extraordinary regularisation as ‘act of justice’]()
For multinationals the policy could expand the formal talent pool, particularly in logistics and seasonal agriculture, sectors currently constrained by labour gaps. HR departments should prepare to assist eligible employees with documentation once the application portal opens—expected in April—and anticipate payroll onboarding and social-security registration workflows.
Opposition parties brand the measure a pull-factor for irregular migration, pledging to reverse it if they gain power. Nevertheless, legal analysts predict the decree will survive judicial scrutiny thanks to wide civil-society backing and alignment with EU regularisation precedents.
Interviewees described obstacles ranging from denial of rental contracts to wage theft and workplace harassment. Many hold degrees or vocational certificates but have been locked into under-the-table domestic or hospitality jobs. One asylum-seekers’ representative called the regularisation “dignity, sense and economic common-sense,” noting acute labour shortages in Spain’s agri-food and manufacturing sectors.
For multinationals the policy could expand the formal talent pool, particularly in logistics and seasonal agriculture, sectors currently constrained by labour gaps. HR departments should prepare to assist eligible employees with documentation once the application portal opens—expected in April—and anticipate payroll onboarding and social-security registration workflows.
Opposition parties brand the measure a pull-factor for irregular migration, pledging to reverse it if they gain power. Nevertheless, legal analysts predict the decree will survive judicial scrutiny thanks to wide civil-society backing and alignment with EU regularisation precedents.
Source: Agencia EFE
