Over 40,000 Immigrants to Regularize Their Status in the Canary Islands

Podemos celebrates the measure, noting that “many neighbours will live with dignity, gain rights and improve their material situation.”

Podemos Canarias estimates that over 40,000 immigrants will be eligible for the extraordinary regularisation scheme in the archipelago, a measure approved by the central government after an agreement with the left‑wing party, as reported by Tiempo de Canarias.

“This is a milestone of social justice, economic relief and better coexistence,” the party said in a statement.

The left‑wing coalition explains that, in the short term, regularisation will allow 27,000–29,000 people to enter the formal labour market, many of them in key sectors suffering from labour shortages such as agriculture, hospitality, care services and construction.

Key figures highlighted by Podemos Canarias:

• Up to €200 million a year in additional Social Security contributions for the Canary Islands.
• 72 % of those to be regularised are aged 20–40, representing “a genuine demographic boost that will rejuvenate the system and strengthen future pensions.”
• 75 % of irregular immigrants in the Canaries originate from Latin America.

Miguel López, Secretary of Migration and Anti‑Racism for Podemos Canarias, warned that denying documentation to people who have lived in Spain for years only pushed them into marginality and undeclared work.

“This agreement will let neighbours live with dignity, access rights and improve their material situation,” López said. He added that in places like Lanzarote there was a lack of labour in agriculture and hospitality, so now “both those who want to work and those who need to hire will be able to do so legally – everyone wins.”

Podemos also argues that the data refute the myths promoted by the far‑right:

• Crime rates among regularised migrants drop by up to 50 %, according to comparative studies.
• A large share of irregular immigrants resort to crime out of necessity because they cannot access legal employment.

Regarding concerns about a “pull‑factor,” the party clarified that only people already present in Spanish territory before 31 December 2025, with at least five months of proven residence and no criminal record, will be eligible. This is not about new inflows but about recognising those already living in precarious, invisible conditions within the underground economy across the islands.

López summed up the achievement:

“This is a collective victory, complying with international human‑rights standards and doing what is right: guaranteeing that all members of Spanish society can live with rights and contribute on an equal footing.”

“The measure is not only humane, but sensible: it turns a structural problem into a future opportunity for the islands.”