Spain’s left-wing government has sparked backlash after confirming that illegal migrants seeking amnesty will be allowed to declare they have no criminal record—without submitting official documentation from their countries of origin.
Under the amnesty scheme approved by the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, more than half a million illegal migrants are expected to qualify for residency permits.
While the program formally excludes migrants with criminal records (aside from illegal entry), a newly published regularization decree reveals that Spanish authorities will largely rely on self-declarations.
According to reporting by ABC, migrants will only need to prove that they requested criminal records from their home country or a country where they lived in the past five years. If no response is received within one month, applicants may submit a sworn statement asserting they have no criminal history.