Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) filed a set of parliamentary questions on 11 May challenging a clause in Spain’s extraordinary regularisation that bars individuals who already have other immigration procedures open—from student-visa renewals to family-reunification petitions—from switching to the faster amnesty track. ERC believes thousands could be left in limbo due to lengthy processing backlogs. Party spokesman Jordi Salvador argues that the restriction penalises “those who played by the rules” and forces them to await decisions in an over-burdened system, while newcomers without files can legalise more quickly. He asked the Government to provide statistics on how many applicants will be excluded and whether it intends to amend the decree. For businesses, the uncertainty could complicate workforce-planning. Employees awaiting standard renewals may not be eligible for the amnesty’s streamlined work-permit conversion, meaning HR teams must handle mixed compliance timelines within the same staff cohort. Immigration lawyers note that Italy and Portugal waived similar exclusions in past amnesties after employer groups complained about administrative complexity. Should Spain follow suit, companies could see a wider pool of regularised workers by year-end. The Ministry of Inclusion has not commented, but officials privately acknowledge backlog pressures in offices such as Girona (27-month average). A technical committee is reviewing possible tweaks ahead of the 30 June deadline.
Source: Europa Press
