The Spanish parliament will consider a bill to grant permanent resident status to illegal immigrants.

Barcelona - A meeting was held in the Spanish Parliament where a decision was made to consider a bill that could provide residency and work permits to hundreds of thousands of foreigners who are in the country without official documents. The initiative was proposed in the Congress of Deputies in Madrid and gathered over 700,000 signatures, as well as support from around 900 organizations, including groups advocating for migrant rights and Catholic associations. As a result, lawmakers voted 310 in favor and 33 against considering the proposal, with the only political force opposing it being the far-right party VOX.

The document will now begin its journey through the lower house of parliament, where it will be subject to lengthy discussions and possible amendments before reaching its final version. If the bill is passed, it will provide legal status to foreigners who arrived in Spain before November 1, 2021, which includes hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Latin America and Africa. The adoption of this law will allow them not only to work and live legally in Spain but also to pay taxes, contribute to the social security system, and access healthcare, education, and other public services.

According to the data from the initiative's authors, from390,000to470,000Foreigners in Spain are currently in an illegal status. Many of them make a living working in the informal economy in low-paid and essential jobs for society, such as:

• fruit picking
• care for the elderly
• delivery of goods

— these professions are often avoided by locals.

The bill aims to eliminate uncertainty for migrants and provide them with equal rights. At the same time, the Spanish government announced this week its intention to abolish the so-called "golden visas," which allow wealthy individuals from outside the European Union to obtain residency permits after investing more than half a million euros (dollars) in real estate. The socialist prime ministerPedro SánchezHe noted that his minority coalition government will consider possible changes during the weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

In his address on Monday, Sánchez emphasized that the reform is part of the government's effort to make housing "a right, not a speculative business." The government claims that since the introduction of this mechanism...2013In the year when it was approved by the previous right-wing party, the People's Party, about10,000Such visas for attracting foreign investors. Critics of "golden visas" actively point out that they have contributed to rising real estate prices and speculation in the housing sector. The increasing prices of apartments have been a serious problem for many Spaniards for many years, especially in the country's major cities.