Spain plans to regularize 300,000 undocumented immigrants annually for the next three years to address labor shortages and an ageing population, Migration Minister Elma Saiz announced.
The reforms streamline work and residence permits, extend job seeker visas to 12 months, and allow students to work up to 30 hours weekly. Saiz said the country needs up to 300,000 new workers yearly to sustain its welfare system.
According to reports, Spain’s economy is the fastest-growing in the EU, boosted in part by a wave of skilled immigrants from Latin America who have plugged labour shortages in sectors such as technology and hospitality. Gross domestic product expanded 3.4% in the third quarter from a year earlier.
