The deadline for submitting applications for the extraordinary regularisation process has passed, with 1,174,978 applications received

The extraordinary regularisation process launched by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration on 16 April and which ended on 30 June, has concluded with a total of 1,174,978 applications registered, of which 609,737 have already been processed.

Of the total number of applications received, 79.6% relate to authorisations granted on exceptional grounds due to strong ties to the country, whilst the remaining 20.4% relate to authorisations for applicants for international protection.

The Secretary of State for Migration, Pilar Cancela, has welcomed the figures from this initial phase of the process. "The figures highlight the historic efforts made by institutions and civil society, which have worked to ensure that no one is left out of this process and to achieve an effective welcoming society, with rights and obligations for all", she said.

Professional support

The involvement of professionals and partner organisations has been a key factor in the high number of applications. According to the data, 58% of online applications were submitted by lawyers, followed by authorised public officials (16.8%), administrative agents (8.4%), the applicants themselves using a digital certificate (7.3%), entities from the Immigration Collaborators' Register (5.1%), and social graduates (3.6%).

Furthermore, the involvement of organisations listed in the Immigration Collaborators' Register was one of the key new features of this procedure. A total of 495 third-sector organisations and trade unions are involved throughout the process, providing advice, support and guidance to applicants. The Ministry of Migration has maintained an ongoing dialogue with these groups, involving nearly twenty in-person meetings attended by various representatives across Spain.

Around 200,000 in-person applications

Of the total number of applications submitted, 83.2% were processed electronically - a figure similar to other immigration procedures - while the remaining 16.8% were filed in person. In the latter case, nearly 200,000 applications were recorded at the 448 Post Office, Social Security and Immigration offices designated for this purpose across the country. The selected Post Offices will remain open during established hours for the in-person rectification of applications, a period that has been extended until 30 September.

Throughout the process, the Ministry of Migration has continuously monitored the capacity of this network, with ongoing monitoring that has enabled resources in each region to be reinforced and scaled according to demand levels.

Boosting the country's productive workforce

As regards the profile of applicants, 87% are of working age (between 16 and 64), while the gender breakdown shows men accounting for 57% and women for 43% of total applications - though the split is equal among minors and the 45-54 age group.

By age group, the largest group is that of people aged between 25 and 34, who account for 31.3% of the total, followed by those aged between 35 and 44 (21.6%) and those aged between 16 and 24 (17%). Six out of ten applicants (59.4%) are under 34 years of age. "Most applicants will be joining our labour market in strategic and essential sectors, contributing to our country's shared prosperity", said Cancela.

Breakdown by origin and destination

By nationality, Colombia accounts for the highest number of applications (25.9% of the total), followed by Morocco (13.3%), Venezuela (11.8%), Peru (8.8%) and Honduras (4.9%). Two out of three applicants come from Central and South America, while 22.9% are of African origin and 8.3% come from Asia.

Catalonia is the autonomous community with the highest volume of applications (257,602), followed by the Community of Madrid (202,424), the Valencian Community (167,286) and Andalusia (161,557). Next come Castilla-La Mancha, the Basque Country, the Region of Murcia, Castilla y León, Galicia and the Canary Islands, consolidating the process's significant presence across all autonomous communities.

160,000 additional national insurance contributors thanks to the regularization process

The number of foreign workers registered as national insurance contributors showed strong growth in the first half of 2026, emerging as a key driver of employment growth in Spain. The rate of increase has been accelerating since the end of April, when the process of regularising the status of foreign nationals was launched.

This growth has been driven primarily by the sharp rise in the number of people arriving from non-EU countries. According to the latest available figures (as at 30 June), 159,097 more national insurance contributors have been registered with Social Security as a result of the regularisation process.

As regards the type of employment they are in, the majority of regularised workers who have registered are covered by the General Social Security Scheme (83.4%).

Furthermore, permanent contracts are the most common form of employment among these new registrations (77.3%), although this figure is lower than the rate for the total pool of foreign registrants from non-EU countries (86.1%).

By type of activity, the sections with the highest number of new registrations are: Hospitality (38,776), Retail (20,195), Administrative Services (19,327) and Construction (18,310).

Survey on employability and socio-educational status

The Ministry of Inclusion has also launched an employability survey to assess the educational, social, economic and employment situation of those taking part in the regularisation process.

The survey is voluntary and is sent electronically to those aged 16 and over once their application has been accepted for processing. This initiative provides an insight into the profile of the regularised population (age, gender, education, language skills, employment status, etc.), which will be very useful when it comes to implementing future measures.

To date, 160,799 forms have been sent out and 36,187 valid responses have been received (23%).

84%of those undergoing the regularisation process have full proficiency in Spanish, and in the case of autonomous communities with a co-official language, 40% are proficient in that language.

In terms of educational attainment, 67% have completed post-compulsory education: 43% hold a high school diploma or vocational training qualification, and 24% have a university education.

Non official translation