https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Vox leader Santiago Abascal stated on Monday that in the regions where his party governs, public funds earmarked for migration policies will be used to finance "return tickets" and repatriations of undocumented immigrants. https://www.thelocal.es/20260505/spains-far-right-plans-to-pay-migrants-return-tickets-with-public-money Tue, 05 May 2026 14:08:52 +0200 spains-far-right-plans-to-pay-migrants-return-tickets-with-public-money Spain’s Socialist government has spoken out against the PP and Vox’s plans to give 'national priority' to Spaniards over foreigners in terms of access to public services, warning it will create "first and second-class citizens". https://www.thelocal.es/20260504/inhumane-spains-ruling-socialists-slam-spaniards-first-plan Mon, 04 May 2026 11:47:49 +0200 inhumane-spains-ruling-socialists-slam-spaniards-first-plan Spain's centre-right PP has made a regional pact with far-right Vox that establishes a 'national priority' to put Spaniards first for benefits and state aid. The clause creates legal debate and perhaps even a view to future immigration policy on a national level. https://www.thelocal.es/20260427/what-is-the-spanish-rights-national-priority-policy-for-spaniards Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:16:30 +0200 what-is-the-spanish-rights-national-priority-policy-for-spaniards With immigration a hot topic in Spain following the government's mass regularisation process, much of the debate overlooks the contribution that migrant communities make to the Spanish coffers. https://www.thelocal.es/20260423/which-foreigners-pay-the-most-into-spanish-social-security Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:14:20 +0200 which-foreigners-pay-the-most-into-spanish-social-security Once again intervening in Spanish politics, billionaire tech titan Elon Musk has accused Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of "high treason". https://www.thelocal.es/20260421/musk-accuses-spanish-pm-of-high-treason-for-migrant-amnesty-measure Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:20:32 +0200 musk-accuses-spanish-pm-of-high-treason-for-migrant-amnesty-measure Estimates from migration think tanks show that the vast majority of those set to benefit from Spain's migrant regularisation are Latin American, data that somewhat debunks misinformation about the measure. https://www.thelocal.es/20260420/86-percent-applying-for-spains-migrant-amnesty-are-latino-data-shows Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:21:06 +0200 86-percent-applying-for-spains-migrant-amnesty-are-latino-data-shows Following the formal approval of Spain's controversial migrant amnesty, up to 800,000 undocumented migrants could gain legal residency in the country. With that comes the right to a number of state benefits. https://www.thelocal.es/20260417/which-benefits-will-spains-regularised-migrants-receive Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:07:06 +0200 which-benefits-will-spains-regularised-migrants-receive If you have been living in Spain since before January 1st and don't have legal residency, you might be able to apply for papers under the government's mass migrant amnesty. Find out if you meet the requirements and how to apply. https://www.thelocal.es/20260417/guide-how-to-apply-for-spains-migrant-regularisation Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:49:26 +0200 guide-how-to-apply-for-spains-migrant-regularisation Immigration campaigners have warned that undocumented migrants wanting to regularise their legal status, as part of Spain's migration amnesty, are facing an increased number of scammers when trying to book appointments. https://www.thelocal.es/20260416/spains-cita-previa-scams-grow-ahead-of-mass-regularisation-process Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:54:44 +0200 spains-cita-previa-scams-grow-ahead-of-mass-regularisation-process Following the formal approval of Spain's mass migrant regularisation, here's what to know about where and how to apply for it. https://www.thelocal.es/20260415/confirmed-what-we-know-about-spains-migrant-amnesty Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:09:37 +0200 confirmed-what-we-know-about-spains-migrant-amnesty Spain's left-wing government will on Tuesday approve a decree expected to regularise around 500,000 undocumented migrants, said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has bucked a European trend cracking down on irregular immigration. https://www.thelocal.es/20260414/spain-to-start-mass-regularisation-of-undocumented-migrants Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:46:40 +0200 spain-to-start-mass-regularisation-of-undocumented-migrants Bureaucratic backlogs and rule changes on residency rights are having an increasing impact on the lives of foreigners living around Europe. Many say they have been left in legal limbo with their lives effectively on hold. https://www.thelocal.es/20260411/a-nightmare-lives-of-foreigners-across-europe-hit-by-residency-card-delays Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:53:39 +0200 a-nightmare-lives-of-foreigners-across-europe-hit-by-residency-card-delays New advice from Spain's Immigration Ministry has revealed that Ukrainians will not be included in the government's controversial mass regularisation process that could see as many as 800,000 undocumented migrants given residency rights in the country. https://www.thelocal.es/20260407/ukrainians-to-be-excluded-from-spains-mass-regularisation-of-migrants Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:53:53 +0200 ukrainians-to-be-excluded-from-spains-mass-regularisation-of-migrants The EU's top immigration official has warned that migrants set to benefit from Spain's controversial mass regularisation process could be deported back to Spain if they are found in an irregular situation in other Member States. https://www.thelocal.es/20260402/migrants-regularised-via-spanish-amnesty-could-be-deported-from-eu-member-states Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:16:03 +0200 migrants-regularised-via-spanish-amnesty-could-be-deported-from-eu-member-states In this week’s Inside Spain we look at how a government report has painted a very dire but real picture of what would happen to Spain if it reduced immigration by a third over the next 50 years. https://www.thelocal.es/20260328/inside-spain-what-would-it-be-like-with-fewer-immigrants Sat, 28 Mar 2026 10:15:04 +0100 inside-spain-what-would-it-be-like-with-fewer-immigrants Faced with the gargantuan task of processing the residency papers of at least 500,000 migrants in just three months, the Spanish government has decided to enlist the help of its Correos post offices and the country's Social Security department. https://www.thelocal.es/20260323/spain-to-allow-undocumented-migrants-to-apply-for-residency-at-post-offices Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:52:28 +0100 spain-to-allow-undocumented-migrants-to-apply-for-residency-at-post-offices A new electronic registry will allow trade unions and NGOs to complete immigration paperwork on behalf of migrants, as the country aims to regularise more than half a million undocumented migrants in the coming months. https://www.thelocal.es/20260313/spain-to-allow-unions-and-ngos-to-do-residency-paperwork-on-behalf-of-migrants Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:10:17 +0100 spain-to-allow-unions-and-ngos-to-do-residency-paperwork-on-behalf-of-migrants Spain on Tuesday announced it will guarantee free healthcare for more foreigners in the country. Who gets access to the public system now? What documents will they have to show? And does it include cover for Brits and EU citizens? https://www.thelocal.es/20260311/qa-who-gets-access-to-spains-public-healthcare-under-new-rules Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:08:03 +0100 qa-who-gets-access-to-spains-public-healthcare-under-new-rules Spain's left-wing government announced Tuesday it will expand free healthcare to undocumented migrants and other people not officially covered by the public system, clarifying doubts over who has access to state-funded health cover. https://www.thelocal.es/20260310/spain-to-expand-healthcare-access-to-undocumented-migrants Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:39:50 +0100 spain-to-expand-healthcare-access-to-undocumented-migrants With the application window for Spain's proposed regularisation of 500,000+ undocumented migrants approaching, unions and immigration office staff have called for greater manpower and resources. https://www.thelocal.es/20260223/humanly-impossible-staff-call-for-more-resources-to-tackle-spains-mass-regularisation Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:54:57 +0100 humanly-impossible-staff-call-for-more-resources-to-tackle-spains-mass-regularisation