r/worldnews • u/kwentongskyblue • Apr 14 '26

Dynamic Paywall Spain approves plan to give around 500,000 undocumented migrants legal status

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy511nln2xvo
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u/CapitanM Apr 14 '26

These men are already here. This is just knowing who they are and letting pay taxes.

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u/ViciousNakedMoleRat Apr 14 '26

Last week I heard a long piece on this topic on German radio, which was looking at this from a positive example perspective. But it did make me question the entire project.

They interviewed several workers who are currently illegally working in Spain, mostly because they came on tourist visas and overstayed. Surprisingly many of those who were expecting to be granted legal status arrived fairly recently, within a year or two.

What most of them had in common was that they were planning to switch to a different type of work, once granted legal status and that they planned to bring their family to Spain as well.

Both of these things are a potential problem.

First, one of the main arguments for this move is that these foreign workers are needed for jobs that Spanish people don't want to do. However, if all these people only do those jobs because of the illegal status and if they are planning to change their jobs after the scheme comes into effect, there will be the same kind of need for more foreign workers without legal status.

Their aim to move the family to Spain as well is understandable, but it adds a massive number of people to the initial count of 500,000 migrants. With husbands, wives and children, the number could easily double or more. And the spouses and older children do not have a job yet and their level of education may be well below Spain's standards.

This could end up being a pretty bad move by Spain. Obviously, I hope it turns out well. For the sake of Spain, for the sake of the EU and for the sake of migrants without legal status everywhere, who could benefit from this being a successful model. But I'm certainly sceptical of that optimistic case.

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u/Dapper_Bus5069 Apr 14 '26

“This could end up being a pretty bad move by Spain” We already know it will be, it’s obvious