The Government proposes to regularize immigrants who are in Spain since before December 31 | Spain

The Government negotiates with parliamentary groups a new text with which to move forward, as soon as possible, the regularization of hundreds of thousands of immigrants. The proposal involves giving a new impulse to the Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) that had a stagnant year in Congress and that aspired to grant residence and work permits up to 470,000 people, according to the organizations that promoted it. The ILP, which was never a bet of the government’s socialist wing, is now a priority because It will serve to correct the holes left by the new Foreigner Regulation and that can push thousands of people to irregularity. The draft of the document, which is serving as a starting point for negotiation, in which several ministers have been directly involved, proposes that regularization benefit immigrants in Spain before December 31.

The text, to which the country has had access, is still subject to changes, but represents a clear declaration of intentions. Unlike the original 2021 proposal, which talked openly about « extraordinary regularization, » the new document avoids that term and opts for a more technical formula: proposes a « transitory, exceptional and limited regime in time. » Despite these nuances, government sources explain that the intention is that the measure benefits as many people as possible and do not close to negotiate the date.

The temporal framework, in any case, does not mean that it can apply to all the people in an irregular situation that were in Spain at that time. There will be requirements – such as the criminal records, the situation of vulnerability or the way of demonstrating the stay in Spain – which will also be negotiated. Both the conditions and the procedure will be collected in a royal decree that must be approved in a maximum of six months, once the majority of deputies of the congress support the initiative.

Despite avoiding direct references to regularization, the text justifies the need for measure. « Our country, due to its geographical situation and the perception of stability, security and economic and social prosperity, constitutes a priority destination objective of migratory flows (…) not effectively accompanying the evolution of migrant human flows with the regulatory scope can generate situations of insecurity or unprotection, » collects the exposition of reasons.

The limitations of the new Foreigner Regulation are also recognized, which comes into force on Tuesday: “Although this new reform, which will go into force on May 20, improve and make the requirements make the requirements so that foreign persons can obtain a residence authorization, there is a significant number of people who will not be able to obtain this authorization despite remaining in Spain for a long time. vulnerability ”.

The initiative had been in dead time, but the PSOE, who came to defend that the EU would not allow regularization, has reactivated it a few days ago a frantic rhythm. The reason for the acceleration, have explained to El País socialist sources, is the interest of President Pedro Sánchez in measures that affect foreigners, such as the recent regularization of 23,000 immigrants affected by the Dana that swept Valencia in October. Motivation is not only to get a significant number of people from irregularity, but to respond to demands of entrepreneurs who complain recurrently the lack of labor. The president’s will coincides that a formula was sought to amend the gaps left by the regulation and there were not many more options than this.

The draft began to negotiate with united we can in some conversations in which several heavyweights of the government have been involved. And, as the days have passed, it has been sharing with practically all political groups. It is foresee that the most involved parties in this initiative (including United Podemos, but also add) press precisely to expand the temporal framework that will be applied.

Although officially adds does not offer details of the negotiation, which began at the end of last week with the socialist part of the Government, group parliamentary sources confirm that the fundamental discrepancy is on the deadline to welcome the measure, he reports Paula Chouza. The minority partner of the coalition wants that regularization cover until the approval of the Foreigner Regulation, this Tuesday, although they propose that the best scenario would be the entry into force of the ILP itself.

In addition, adding wants to define some of the criteria that will be the basis for the Royal Decree with which the requirements and procedure will be marked. The same sources see positive that the text is broadly written and no longer imposes restrictions, in line with the initiative presented in their day by social groups, but they want a commitment of the PSOE to contemplate certain conditions.

Also the promoters of regularization have a lot of interest in that time limit. « That date (that of December 31) is already outdated because between the approved procedure, which could be at the end of June, plus the six months they have to approve the royal decree that will regulate it … we can be talking about the end of at the end of at least 2025, » says Victoria Canalla, of the regularization movement already. « The date should be the publication in the BOE or the same implementation of the Government Reform on May 20, » he agrees. « What we ask is an extraordinary reform not a patch to a reform, » he concludes.

All of them will probably face the PP that already In the previous negotiations he defended that this date was prior to November 1, 2021. With that condition the impact of the measure is significantly restricted because immigrants who have been in Spain for almost four years have already had several ways to regularize.

The measure is in a hurry. « We have a problem if it does not come out, » socialist sources acknowledged. « And it should be before summer. Then, everything – in reference to the political and parliamentary agenda – will be complicated. » It remains to be seen how parties are now positioned that allowed the measure to initiate the parliamentary process, but that, in reality, do not see regularization clear. The PP, faithful to its line, will not facilitate any proposal that starts from the Government, but in this matter it faces the pressure of the Church and organizations such as Caritas, which have promoted the initiative. Nor is the PNV position clear, which during the amendment presentation period insisted on linking any regularization to the existence of work contracts. Neither the Junts, in principle, little prone to support a measure of these characteristics, but an expert in conditioning his vote until the last minute.

The project to launch the ILP began to be completed in 2021 and after the achievement of 600,000 signatures and the support of 900 organizations, it reached the Congress And on April 9 of last year its processing came forward parliamentary with the only vote against Vox. It was a milestone in democracy, taking into account the movie theme and the little success of ILP in the hemicycle. During this year, parliamentary groups have presented amendments, some contradictory to each other, and negotiations have advanced very slowly. In this phase of presentation, with a good part of the amendments already outdated by the time elapsed, the objective is now to agree on a new text that can be taken to the vote full. You will need half of the votes plus one.