Just days before Spain opens the largest mass-regularisation in its history, the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) union has announced an indefinite strike of immigration-office staff starting 20 April—the very day applications begin. Only five provincial Extranjería offices are formally tasked with receiving the new amnesty files, but CCOO’s action will cover all Foreigners’ Offices attached to regional delegations of the Ministry of Territorial Policy.
![Civil-Service Union Calls Indefinite Strike at Extranjería Offices Ahead of Regularisation Rush]()
For companies and individuals worried about navigating Spain’s shifting immigration landscape, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its dedicated Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), the service offers up-to-date guidance, document review and secure e-filing options that reduce reliance on in-person office visits—particularly valuable during labour disruptions such as the one announced by CCOO.
CCOO accuses the government of ignoring chronic understaffing: more than 180,000 ordinary residence applications were already pending at the end of 2025, it says, and the extraordinary process could add 750,000 files in just ten weeks. The union wants a structural review of head-counts, pay-grade harmonisation, creation of continuous-shift customer-service posts and dedicated training budgets. If the walk-out proceeds, applicants will still be able to submit dossiers through Social-Security and Correos (post-office) counters, but in-person biometric enrolment—essential for many first-time applicants—could be paralysed in major hubs such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. Immigration lawyers fear that missing a biometric appointment may reset the filing date, jeopardising eligibility under the programme’s tight timeline. Employers planning to sponsor new work permits or transform shadow-contracts into legal employment should build contingency time into mobility schedules and consider using digital-certificate filings wherever possible. The Ministry of Inclusion and Migration says it is assessing emergency measures, including redeploying Tragsa agency staff and extending office hours once the strike ends.
For companies and individuals worried about navigating Spain’s shifting immigration landscape, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its dedicated Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), the service offers up-to-date guidance, document review and secure e-filing options that reduce reliance on in-person office visits—particularly valuable during labour disruptions such as the one announced by CCOO.
CCOO accuses the government of ignoring chronic understaffing: more than 180,000 ordinary residence applications were already pending at the end of 2025, it says, and the extraordinary process could add 750,000 files in just ten weeks. The union wants a structural review of head-counts, pay-grade harmonisation, creation of continuous-shift customer-service posts and dedicated training budgets. If the walk-out proceeds, applicants will still be able to submit dossiers through Social-Security and Correos (post-office) counters, but in-person biometric enrolment—essential for many first-time applicants—could be paralysed in major hubs such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. Immigration lawyers fear that missing a biometric appointment may reset the filing date, jeopardising eligibility under the programme’s tight timeline. Employers planning to sponsor new work permits or transform shadow-contracts into legal employment should build contingency time into mobility schedules and consider using digital-certificate filings wherever possible. The Ministry of Inclusion and Migration says it is assessing emergency measures, including redeploying Tragsa agency staff and extending office hours once the strike ends.
