Migrants in Spain queue to apply for mass legalisation programme

Sky News - Migrants in Spain have queued up to apply for the country's mass legalisation programme on Monday.

The measure, which was announced in January and finalised this month, could affect hundreds of thousands of foreigners living and working in the country without authorisation.

It offers migrants without legal status a one-year, renewable residence permit if they have spent five months living in the country and have a clean criminal record.

Applications can be submitted until the end of June in more than 370 post offices, 60 social security offices, some migration offices and online.

Spain's government estimates that 500,000 migrants could be affected, but the Spanish thinktank Funcas says it could be around 840,000 people.

There have been questions about the short window to apply, and when applications opened on Monday, migrants were seen lining up in long queues outside post offices.

Applicants in the capital Madrid and in Barcelona described a process without incidents, but some criticised the long wait times even after making appointments.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called the amnesty programme "an act of justice and a necessity".

Mr Sanchez, a progressive, argued that those already living and working in Spain should "do so under equal conditions" and pay taxes.

The Spanish government has defended the measure as an economic decision that has the support of business owners and unions, as it says more workers are needed to maintain Spain's growing economy and contribute to social security.

The approach differs significantly from elsewhere in Europe, where many governments have been trying to curb the arrivals of migrants and increase the number of deportations.

Spain's population has grown considerably in recent years, with one in every five residents - around 10 million people - born outside the country.