Spain sees record 1.17 million immigration applications as Greece revamps migrant legal aid

Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration reported that 1,174,978 people applied for the residency regularisation scheme, more than double the government’s forecast and the highest total since the democratic transition. Of these, 609,737 files have been accepted for examination, granting temporary residence and work permits while cases are processed, and about 11,000 applicants have already received a positive decision. Applicants are 67% from Latin America, led by Colombia (27%), followed by Morocco, Venezuela, Peru and Honduras. Applicants are predominantly under 45 years old (81%) and male (57%). The surge has added 159,097 new registrations to Spain’s social‑security system, with the largest numbers in the health sector, commerce, administration and construction.

In Greece, a new Joint Ministerial Decision removes NGOs from providing free legal guidance to asylum seekers and transfers that role exclusively to lawyers registered in a newly created Register of Lawyers for Legal Guidance, overseen by the Athens Bar Association. Lawyers will be paid a fixed fee of €160 per session and may receive a €250 bonus if the person voluntarily departs the country and the process is completed. The decree, signed by Deputy Minister Nikos Papathanasis, Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis and Migration Minister Thanasis Plevris, aims to align legal information with the government’s “prison or return” policy, limiting guidance to information rather than full representation and allowing group sessions of up to 15‑50 people.