Undocumented migrants in Spain are beginning to sign their first formal employment contracts after obtaining provisional residence and work permits through the country’s extraordinary regularisation process, according to the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and reporting verified against official documents. For workers in sectors such as construction, care and cleaning, the immediate effect is practical: a contract, Social Security registration, and legal protection at work.

The scheme opened on 16 April 2026 and ran until 30 June 2026 under a modification to Royal Decree 1155/2024, according to the government’s report published by La Moncloa. The Ministry later said the deadline closed with 1,174,978 applications received, far above the initial estimate of around 500,000 potential beneficiaries, according to the ministry’s official notice.

People can begin working as soon as their application is admitted for processing. Reuters reported on 15 June, citing the Migration Ministry, that Spain had already granted about 360,000 temporary work permits since April, equivalent to around 40% of requests received at that point.

What changed for workers already in Spain

Three applicants described how the provisional permit changed their working conditions in July: Guillermo, a construction electrician from El Salvador; Germán, a maintenance and installation technician from Honduras; and Alessia, a Peruvian worker who moved from informal cleaning work to a temporary receptionist post in a nursing home.

Guillermo said he arrived in Spain with his wife in August and had previously worked without papers or a contract for about 11 hours a day for €800 a month. After his application was admitted on 18 June, he obtained a Social Security number on 19 June and signed his first contract a week later. He started work on 1 July.

"A few weeks ago, I was being dragged down and exploited, now I can even choose."

He said his new job gives him an open-ended 40-hour contract and about €1,800 net a month. He also said he now has Social Security cover, which he did not have while working informally in construction, one of Spain’s highest-risk sectors for workplace accidents.

Germán said he was hired by a kitchen company as a maintenance and installation technician two days after receiving the document allowing him to work. Alessia, a fictitious name used to protect her identity, said signing her first contract brought "more peace of mind, both economically and emotionally".

What the official figures show so far

The government has not yet published a final count of how many people joined Social Security specifically because of the extraordinary regularisation procedure. The Ministry of Inclusion told media that 159,097 people with processed applications were registered with Social Security as of 30 June, but said most were already contributing because they had previously been in the international protection system.

That means the current picture is incomplete. Still, the official data and ministry statements indicate the process is already moving part of the workforce out of the informal economy and into registered employment.

  • The scheme began on Wednesday 16 April 2026 and applications closed on Tuesday 30 June 2026, according to La Moncloa.
  • The government initially estimated around 500,000 potential beneficiaries.
  • The Ministry of Inclusion later said 1,174,978 applications were received by the end of the deadline.
  • Reuters reported on 15 June that about 360,000 temporary work permits had been granted since April.
  • The Ministry said 159,097 people with processed applications were registered with Social Security as of 30 June.

According to La Moncloa, the measure was designed for foreign nationals already living in Spain without regular administrative status. The official report said many were already part of the country’s economic and social fabric and that some could help fill 156,000 vacancies in sectors with persistent labour shortages, including hospitality, construction and retail.

Why Social Security registration matters

For workers and employers, registration with Social Security is the step that turns informal work into formal employment. The Spanish public administration’s guidance on employee registration with Social Security sets out the process for formal enrolment, while Barcelona’s International Welcome service explains how to obtain a Social Security number.

That matters directly to residents and expats already living in Spain. A formal contract can affect access to healthcare cover linked to employment, protection after workplace accidents, and proof of legal employment history. For employers in Spain, including those in Barcelona who are trying to fill vacancies, the provisional permit means some applicants can be hired before the final immigration decision arrives.

The broader fiscal effect is still being debated. Figures cited by AIReF, Spain’s independent fiscal authority, and reported by El Español, estimate that extraordinary regularisation could formalise about 337,000 new workers and generate €1.074 billion in Social Security contributions in the first year, although AIReF described the long-term impact on pension sustainability as "marginal" and subject to significant uncertainty.

For now, the clearest confirmed change is at worker level: people whose applications have been admitted can work legally while their cases are processed, and some have already moved from cash-in-hand jobs to formal contracts in July.

Primary sources: lamoncloa.gob.es, inclusion.gob.es, administracion.gob.es, barcelona.cat. Reported by Source Text Link, Eduardo Ortega Socorro, Reuters, Ahmad Abbas, visahq.news, cidob.org, europapress.es, José Ángel Pedraza, Alba Menéndez, CDiarioAdm, Tanishq Chauhan, expatica.com, manortax.com, guides.waypointsur.com, eldiario.es.