Just two weeks after Spain opened its mass legalisation programme, the first applicants are receiving provisional residence and work permits. El País profiled 23-year-old Venezuelan nurse Camila Herrera, who on 29 April collected a notice admitting her case to processing and granting immediate permission to work anywhere in Spain. Royal Decree 316/2026 allows foreigners who were present in Spain before 31 December 2025 and who obtain a ‘certificate of social roots or vulnerability’ to regularise. Prospective applicants who need help compiling documents or clarifying eligibility can lean on VisaHQ’s dedicated Spain team. Through its portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) the service lists up-to-date requirements, offers document pre-check, and even schedules appointments, providing a convenient complement to the government’s new online platform. Authorities have committed to ruling on each file within 90 days, but an interim document issued at the admission-to-process stage confers full labour rights. Legal advisers report that thousands of applications were submitted the minute the online portal opened at midnight on 15 April, and the Interior Ministry is processing files in chronological order. While supporters hail the measure as a pragmatic response to labour shortages in health care and agriculture, critics in the opposition call it an “amnesty” that could encourage further irregular migration. For employers, the development means access to a new pool of legally hireable talent, but onboarding teams must verify that employees hold the interim authorisation and satisfy sector-specific credential requirements. Payroll providers should adjust systems to onboard workers whose final residence card may not be issued for several months. The first approvals also test government service levels: successful applicants must be issued Social Security numbers within 72 hours, and regional health authorities must activate coverage. Any backlog could undermine public confidence ahead of regional elections in June.
