New immigration law in Spain: more opportunities and challenges on the horizon

This legislative reform, approved by the Spanish government after months of intense debate, affects the core of the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents in its territory, from asylum seekers to foreign workers and students.

At the heart of the new amendments is the ‘facilitated rooting’ mechanism, which reduces the required residence time from three to just two years, as well as the ‘second chance’ provision, which grants an exceptional period to recover lost residence permits. These measures are intended to make life easier for tens of thousands of people living in an irregular situation, especially those from Morocco and Latin American countries.

In the area of family reunification, the law represents a significant step forward by broadening the concept of family to include unmarried couples and children up to the age of 26, as well as facilitating the reunification process for people over the age of 65. A new ‘residence permit for relatives of Spanish citizens’ has also been introduced, removing the requirement to return to the country of origin, which experts have described as a ‘liberation of cross-border family ties’.

In a move aimed at attracting talent, the law eases restrictions on foreign students by allowing them to work 30 hours per week and partially adopt distance learning. However, these benefits exclude minors, a controversial exception that has sparked outrage from children's rights organisations.

Despite these reforms, Madrid faces enormous challenges in their implementation, including legal challenges, criticism for the exclusion of asylum seekers, and fears of administrative collapse in the face of an expected flood of applications. In addition, the citizens' initiative demanding the regularisation of 400,000 migrants remains a constant pressure on the government.

Today, as immigration offices open their doors to implement the new law, mixed feelings of hope and fear fill the hearts of thousands of families eagerly awaiting to find out whether these reforms will translate into real opportunities or remain dead letters like so many before them. The big question remains: Does Spain have the will and the resources to turn this ambitious vision into a tangible reality?