Moroccans rank second in Spain regularization with 157000 applications

Moroccan migrants submitted around 157,000 applications under Spain’s exceptional regularization process for migrants, accounting for 13.4 percent of a total of 1,174,978 applications. This places Morocco second after Colombia in terms of the number of applicants, according to the final figures released by Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.

The ministry said, two days after the application deadline expired, that the total number of files submitted was more than double the government’s initial estimates, which had anticipated that only around 500,000 people would benefit from the measure.

By nationality, Colombians topped the list with 26 percent of all applications, followed by Moroccans at 13.4 percent, Venezuelans at 11.7 percent, and Peruvians at 8.8 percent. Applicants from Central and South America accounted for 67 percent of the total.

Geographically, Catalonia, Madrid, and Valencia accounted for 54.8 percent of all applications, with 257,000, 220,000, and 167,000 respectively, while Andalusia recorded around 161,000 applications.

The data showed that 57 percent of applicants were men, compared with 43 percent women, while 81 percent were under the age of 45. By age group, those aged 25 to 34 made up 31.3 percent, followed by applicants aged 35 to 44 at 21.6 percent, and those aged 16 to 24 at 17 percent. Minors under the age of 16 represented 11.1 percent of all applications.

So far, Spanish authorities have completed the review of 11,000 files, without disclosing how many applications were approved or rejected. Meanwhile, around 608,000 files, nearly 52 percent of the total, have entered the processing stage. Acceptance of a file for review grants the applicant a temporary residence and work permit.

The ministry said it had mobilized additional resources to process the large volume of applications, noting that 83 percent were submitted online, while 197,102 applications, or 16.8 percent, were filed in person through post offices, Social Security offices, and foreign nationals’ offices.