MADRID, Spain: Spain's plan to grant legal status to at least half a million undocumented migrants is already straining immigration services and unsettling applicants weeks before the programme is due to begin, union officials, lawyers, and migrants say.

The government announced last month that the regularisation drive would run from early April through June. But with limited details released and no additional funding or staffing allocated, critics warn the initiative risks stumbling at the outset.

Spain's migration ministry said in January that no extra budget or personnel had been earmarked for the expected surge in applications. Immigration offices, meanwhile, are still grappling with months-old backlogs.

"Our offices are completely jammed. If there are no more people, if there is no technological reinforcement, without more money, this is impossible," said César Pérez, a union leader representing Spain's immigration officers.

Pérez said most staff are still processing applications submitted in June 2025.

A preliminary government document published last month outlined the plan. An unpublished draft decree dated February 18, seen by Reuters, refers to "a specific, preferential and differentiated procedure" for the legalization window but offers few details on documentation requirements.

Spain's ministries of Inclusion, Interior, and Territorial Policy declined to answer detailed questions. A spokesperson for the migration ministry said the final decree is still being developed.

‘Chaos at Launch'

Spain has stood apart from many European countries by promoting migration as an economic asset. Economists credit it with supporting much of the country's growth over the past four years.

Mass amnesties are not new. In 2005, Spain granted legal status to 570,000 people who could show formal work contracts, hiring 1,700 additional staff and opening 742 new information points to handle the influx, according to research by Claudia Finotelli.

This time, however, Spain's government has been unable to pass a budget since 2023 due to parliamentary deadlock, limiting its ability to fund new measures.

Without additional resources, the effort could falter, officials and observers say. Four sources familiar with discussions said the government is considering involving non-governmental organizations and trade unions in processing applications. Another option is extending immigration office hours, Pérez said.

Neither measure has been formally adopted.

"The government is optimistic, but coordinating everyone will not be easy. We can expect chaos at launch," said a person involved in the migration ministry's discussions.

Desperate Migrants in Limbo

Uncertainty has left migrants scrambling for information.

Police and civil servant unions say migrants are queuing at immigration offices seeking details that officers themselves do not yet have.

The government has said applicants must have a clean criminal record and either have resided continuously in Spain for five months or applied for asylum before the end of 2025. It has not specified what documents will be accepted as proof.

"It's still not clear what requirements we'll have to meet. I'm afraid they will ask for something I can't provide," said Iris Rocha, a 37-year-old Peruvian mother of two.

Rocha said she fled Peru with her daughters in 2023 after suffering abuse. After being denied asylum, she lost her temporary work permit last year and now works without papers.

"I would get my life back. Until then I have to survive," she said.

Immigration Minister Elma Saiz said in January that applicants would be allowed to work legally within 15 days of submitting documentation, once notified that their applications were being processed.

But experts question whether the system can move that quickly. The think tank Funcas estimates that migrants currently spend two to three years trying to obtain legal status. Roughly 840,000 undocumented migrants are believed to be working off the books during that process.

"People become undocumented not because they don't want to register, but because they can't," said Gabriela Domingo, a lawyer at migration consultancy Legalizados.

Some migrants, fearing long waits, are already paying intermediaries to secure April appointments at immigration offices, three lawyers said. The practice is illegal. The government acknowledged in November 2025 that appointment shortages have fueled such activity.

"People are selling appointments even though the start date is only a rumour, which shows the fear this process has instilled in migrants," said Pilar Rodriguez, a lawyer for advocacy group Aculco.