Spanish government grants amnesty for undocumented migrants
Spain has unveiled a mass amnesty program that would provide up to half a million undocumented migrants with legal status.
The move is part of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s plan to leverage the economic benefits of migration for Spain’s aging population.
Sánchez says the amnesty is also a moral issue that recognises “rights for those who are already contributing to the prosperity and cohesion of our country.”
Online applications will open on Thursday, with in-person interviews set to commence next week. However, the union representing immigration officials is threatening to strike, saying the system is not prepared to handle hundreds of thousands of applications.
Union leader Cesar Perez told Reuters that the amnesty was being implemented “without giving offices enough economic resources to handle it”.
The Spanish opposition Popular Party has also criticised the amnesty, despite having proposed similar measures in the past.
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