Over a million undocumented migrants apply for legal status in Spain in Europe's biggest ever amnesty scheme
Up to 1.3 million undocumented migrants living in Spain have applied for amnesty in the country after its left-wing Government launched the biggest scheme of its kind in Europe.
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More than double the expected number of people applied for legal status under the scheme introduced by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in April.
Tuesday marks the final day for submissions for the programme, which largely bucks the trend seen across the rest of Europe amid a crackdown on irregular migration and a call for tougher EU migration rules.
Huge queues of migrants were seen piling up at centres across the country for months as they applied for the necessary paperwork.
"The more than one million applications submitted...show how necessary this recognition of rights and responsibilities was,” Mr Sanchez said today.
The socialist prime minister has long argued that immigrants are required to sustain the country’s economy, its welfare state and pensions to combat its ageing population and depopulation in rural areas.
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"When we condemn a person to invisibility, I think we make our country a worse country. We all lose," Sánchez said, adding that his government aimed to "offer an opportunity and future" to migrants.
"We want the world to view Spain as a country that respects, protects and upholds human rights," Mr Sanchez said.
He invited migrants undocumented migrants to apply for amnesty on April 16 and up to 500,000 people had been expected to benefit.
But data from the Mercurio platform, which registers applications from across Spain, shows up to 1.3 million people have applied.
The number of applications does not necessarily indicate how many migrants will receive legal status.
Applicants must present with a clean criminal record and must have spent at least five consecutive months in the country before January 1.Spanish authorities have three months to process their paperwork and determine whether to issue them a work and residence permit.
Special provisions have also been set up for migrants running into difficulties showing proof.
Spain is a key entry point for migrants and undocumented asylum seekers and migrants trying to settle in the European Union.
Many come from nearby North African countries such as Morocco, which made up 14 percent of applicants to Mr Sanchez’s scheme.
But most of the applicants came from Colombia, making up 30 percent.Venezuelans made up 10 percent, while Peruvians made up 9 percent. The programme largely defies a far-right trend sweeping Europe which demonises migrants and calls for tougher rules.
Spain’s main opposition centre-right party, Partido Popular (PP), and the hard-Right Vox, both opposed the scheme claiming it would spark a surge in more illegal immigration. But many Spanish business leaders have welcomed the move.
Mr Sánchez accused the right of "fuelling fear (and) stirring up xenophobic discourse that does not solve any problem" on Tuesday, but admitted there were "tensions" and "challenges" around immigration in Spain.