Just eight days after the online portal opened, Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration reports receiving more than 130,000 applications for the new Extraordinary Regularisation Process. That figure—roughly 26 percent of the government’s own 500,000-applicant projection—was confirmed in a press note released on 24 April and picked up by CiberCuba. Requests are arriving through both the Mercurio e-filing system and in-person appointments at the 436 authorised offices. An additional 55,000 appointments have already been scheduled up to 30 April, suggesting the pace will accelerate as word spreads. Although the ministry insists operations are “proceeding normally,” social-service agencies in Catalonia say they are already booked through June, and Madrid’s regional government has filed an appeal with Spain’s Supreme Court seeking suspension of the decree. Bottlenecks are forming around the newly created “certificate of vulnerability,” a prerequisite for many applicants that must be issued by municipal social-services or registered NGOs. To ease pressure, the ministry and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) have agreed to sign a cooperation accord to streamline data sharing and appointment allocation. For employers, the early numbers confirm that a significant share of Spain’s shadow workforce is attempting to come above ground. HR leaders should monitor whether processing times extend beyond the decree’s 30 June deadline, potentially delaying residency-card (TIE) issuance and onboarding for newly regularised staff. Companies with large Cuban workforces should note that document legalisation in Havana can take four-to-six months, risking missed deadlines unless contingency plans—such as remote document collection—are arranged.
Source: CiberCuba
