The Spanish Parliament agreed on Tuesday to consider a law that could grant residency and work permits to hundreds of thousands of foreigners living in Spain without the necessary documents, AP News reports.
The proposal was introduced in the Congress of Deputies in Madrid on a citizens’ initiative that received more than 700,000 signatures and the support of some 900 organisations, ranging from migrant rights groups to Catholic associations.
Lawmakers voted 310-33 in favour of passing the proposal for consideration, with only the right-wing VOX party opposed. The bill will now go through the lower house of parliament, where it will be vigorously debated and likely refined into a final version.
After the adoption of the bill, legal status will be granted to foreigners who arrived in Spain before 1 November 2021, including hundreds of thousands of migrants from Africa and Latin America. Migrants will be able to legally live and work in Spain, as well as pay taxes and have access to healthcare, education and other public services.
At the same time this week Madrid announced its intention to abolish the so-called “golden visas”, which allow wealthy people from outside the EU to obtain a residence permit after investing more than half a million euros (dollars) in real estate.
According to the authors of the initiative, from 390,000 to 470,000 foreigners live in Spain illegally.
