JRS Europe and SJM Welcome Spain’s Regularization Decision of 500 000 persons

JRS Europe stands alongside Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes (SJM) in Spain,) in viewing positively the launch of the  regularization procedure approved by the Spanish Council of Ministers. This decision marks the start of a regulatory process, which must still be completed before the final measure is adopted through a Royal Decree. The development reflects the broad social consensus and sustained civic mobilization around the Popular Legislative Initiative calling for regularization and marks an important step towards addressing situations of administrative exclusion affecting undocumented migrants and asylum seekers in Spain.  

“Adopting measures that respect the human dignity of people and safeguard their rights is possible and impacts positively societies and states. The recent decision of the Spanish government first and foremost provides people who have been living with instability and invisibility with real possibility to build their lives  without fear.  As JRS Europe, we will keep on calling for more legal pathways for safe migration toin our societies.” says Mariza Koronioti, Advocacy and Policy Coordinator at JRS Europe. 

SJM has welcomed the opening of this procedure with hope, recognizing its potential to offer a legal pathway to regularity for thousands of people who were left without residence following the reform of Spain’s Immigration Regulation adopted in May 2025. As the process moves forward, SJM will closely follow its development and seek to contribute to the drafting of the Royal Decree, with the aim of ensuring that the final regulation is broad, rights-based, and responsive to existing forms of administrative exclusion. 

Key Elements of the Procedure and the Way Forward 

The regularization will follow an accelerated procedure under Spanish law, including a public consultation and the mandatory opinion of the Council of State, and will conclude with the adoption of a final text through a Royal Decree. According to official information published by Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, the measure will apply to people who have lived continuously in Spain for at least five months or have applied for international protection prior to 31 December 2025. Applications are expected to open in early April, once the required procedural steps are completed, and the deadline for submitting applications will remain open until 30 June 2026. The Ministry has also published an official questions-and-answers document to clarify the scope of the procedure. 

Accompaniment, Information provision, and a European Perspective 

Through its network across Spain, the Jesuit Migrant Service continues to accompany people living in situations of administrative invisibility, advocating for their access to rights and the possibility to fully exercise them, and the protection of the rule of law.  SJM underlines the importance of staying informed through official Ministry channels and trusted civil-society organizations, to prevent misinformation and to ensure that the final regulation reflects meaningful participation by civil society and expert organizations accompanying migrants daily.