Hundreds of Moroccans Queue Outside Spanish Consulate in Almería to Apply for Naturalization After Sánchez Government’s Mass Regularization
A video circulating on social media shows long queues of Moroccan nationals lining up in front of the Spanish Consulate in Almería, southeastern Spain, as they seek to obtain the necessary documentation to legalize their situation or begin the naturalization process. The scenes come just days after the Spanish government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, officially launched an extraordinary mass regularization program for irregular migrants. The process began on April 16 with online applications and continues with in-person appointments.
Spain Launches Extraordinary Migrant Regularization Process This Thursday
According to the Ministry of Inclusion, the measure aims to regularize hundreds of thousands of foreigners who have been living and working in Spain for months or years without legal status. The program is open to certain asylum seekers and economic migrants who can prove they arrived before specific cutoff dates in 2025.
While the government presents the initiative as a necessary response to labor shortages and demographic challenges, critics have strongly condemned it, accusing Sánchez’s administration of encouraging irregular migration and prioritizing political interests over border control and national security.
In Almería — a province with a large agricultural sector that relies heavily on migrant labor — the consulate has seen a significant influx of applicants, many of them Moroccan. Similar scenes have been reported at other Spanish consulates in Morocco and at immigration offices across Spain.
The government has insisted the process includes strict requirements, such as having no criminal record and not posing a threat to public order. However, opposition parties and several regional governments have voiced concerns about the speed of the procedure and its potential impact on public services and social cohesion.
This latest development has reignited the intense political debate in Spain over immigration policy, with the Sánchez government once again at the center of controversy.
