Page 10 - Demo

10 | Gazette Life | March 2026GAZETTE | NEWSIMMIGRANT AMNESTY Spain%u2019s government has passed a decree that could grant residency to more than 500,000 immigrants who are currently in an irregular situation in Spain.The amnesty will provide a fast track to legal residence for immigrants who can prove they arrived before 31st December 2025, have spent more than five months in the country and who have no criminal record. It has been estimated that around 50,000 people on the Canaries could benefit from the measure. Although the law has not yet been officially published, it will give immigrants without papers three months, from the 1st April to the 30th June, to apply. Successful applicants will receive a one-year residence permit, which will give them the right to work, access the public health system and the right to register for social security. Once expired, they will have the right to apply for residency via usual channels. Although the numbers of irregular immigrants in Spain are difficult to establish, it is estimated that the majority of eligible claimants will come from Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Peru, with smaller numbers hailing from Africa and Asia. Around 70% of irregular immigrants arrive by air and have outstayed their short-term visas. In contrast to the anti-immigrant policies that are being adopted by many other European countries, as well as the UK and US, Spain%u2019s socialist government has been notably positive about immigration, and believes that the regularisation plan will reduce labour exploitation, increase tax revenues and boost the economy. It is also expected to ease labour shortages in construction, hospitality, agriculture and the care sector, areas which have long relied on immigrant workers. Spain%u2019s economy currently leads the EU in terms of growth, and unemployment, while still high, has fallen below 10% for the first time since the economic crisis of A demonstration in favour of regularising immigrants in Barcelona.