FAMILIES
with
children,
asylum
seekers
and
vulnerable
immigrants
will
be
prioritised
in
the
Spanish
government’s
move
to
legalise
thousands
of
immigrants.
The
popular
legislative
initiative
(ILP),
seemingly
stalled
in
Congress
over
the
last
three
weeks.
Yet,
on
Tuesday,
the
Secretary
of
State
for
Migration,
Pilar
Cancela,
met
with
several
parliamentary
groups
to
finalise
the
‘extraordinary
regularisation’
blueprint.
READ
MORE:
Spain’s
parliament
moves
to
legalise
nearly
half
a
million
undocumented
workers
This
fine
print
details
the
general
requirements
immigrants
must
meet
to
be
able
to
benefit
from
the
law.
This
includes
that
immigrants
must
have
been
residing
in
Spain
before
March
31
this
year,
and
have
lived
in
Spain
for
at
least
one
year
before
applying;
have
no
criminal
record;
pose
no
threat
to
public
order;
and
are
not
facing
a
non-return
order.
Alongside
these
general
requirements,
at
least
one
of
five
specific
conditions
must
be
met.
The
first
condition
is
one
of
‘flexible’
employment.
The
immigrant
must
have
prior
employment
in
Spain
or
an
offer
of
future
employment
on
the
table.
The
second
condition
is
that
the
immigrant
is
a
parent
or
grandparent
of
children
enrolled
in
school
or
dependent
adults.
This
will
then
capture
the
children
as
well,
who
would
subsequently
gain
residence
from
their
parents.
A
third
condition
captures
those
who
are
‘particularly
vulnerable,’
such
as
being
unemployed,
or
working
and
exposed
to
exploitation.
The
fourth
condition
is
for
those
individuals
who
have
requested
international
protection
before
March
31.
The
immigrant
can
only
have
one
application
for
regularisation
open.
The
last
condition
considers
asylum
seekers,
specifically
those
who
have
requested
protection
in
Spain
out
of
fear
of
persecution
in
their
home
countries,
yet
their
application
has
been
denied.
These
immigrants
are
most
affected
by
the
new
immigration
requirements
that
were
enacted
on
May
20.
Those
new
regulations
were
meant
to
streamline
immigration
applications,
but
in
reality,
some
immigration
experts
have
argued
that
thousands
of
people,
including
asylum
seekers,
will
fall
outside
of
the
law
and
be
forced
into
hiding.
The
definition
of
the
profiles
has
been
met
with
political
resistance.
The
left-wing
groups
want
the
requirements
to
be
minimal,
but
parties
such
as
the
PP
and
the
Basque
National
Party
want
stricter
rules,
such
as
requiring
immigrants
to
already
have
employment
contracts.
More
specific
requirements
are
still
to
be
defined,
including
what
documentation
the
immigrants
must
submit
to
demonstrate
they
have
met
the
regulations.
It’s
hoped
these
talks
will
push
the
initiative
forward
before
summer
recess,
but
there
are
still
questions
on
whether
it
would
reach
a
parliamentary
majority
when
it
comes
to
the
final
vote.
Spain
has
previously
legalised
undocumented
migrants
through
the
extraordinary
legal
process.
More
than
22,000
migrants
were
regulated
by
the
Government
in
the
months
following
the
devastating
Valencia
floods
on
October
29.
READ
MORE:
Spain
will
give
work
permits
and
residency
to
thousands
of
illegal
migrants