Migrant Regularization: A European Debate Beyond Housing

The Hidden Reality Behind Criticism of Regularization

In the current European political landscape, migration management has become a political football. Recently, Spain has faced criticism from conservative sectors—including global far-right figures—for its regularization processes. However, the archives reveal a different reality: between 1945 and 2024, OECD countries have implemented 159 such programs under governments of all ideological stripes.

Structural Misalignment and the Labor Market

The need for regularization is not a political whim but a response to a mismatch between labor supply and demand. Sectors like agriculture, construction, and care work depend on foreign labor that, in many cases, remains in administrative limbo. This phenomenon has a cross-cutting impact on society, even affecting the economic stability of workers, who often face difficulties accessing decent housing, whether through a rental contract or applying for a mortgage, due to their irregular status.

"It cannot be said that extraordinary regularizations are necessarily a policy of left-wing governments because they have occurred under governments of all colors," notes Blanca Garcés, a researcher at CIDOB.

Italy and Germany: Divergent Approaches

It is paradoxical that leaders like Giorgia Meloni in Italy have harshly criticized Spanish policies when her own country has historically resorted to mass regularizations, such as the one in 2002 under Silvio Berlusconi's government. In fact, the Italian Executive plans to open its doors to 500,000 non-EU citizens between 2026 and 2028 through its flow decrees.

On the other hand, countries like Germany have opted for more administrative routes, such as the Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht (opportunity to reside law). This mechanism aims to resolve prolonged "tolerance" situations, offering a provisional status that allows migrants to fully integrate into the labor market and eventually aspire to residential stability similar to that analyzed in outlets like El ático de Ayuso: Dudas sobre la compraventa de una vivienda de lujo, where legal certainty is fundamental.

The Myth of the "Pull Factor"

One of the most recurring arguments from the European right is the supposed "pull factor." However, empirical evidence analyzed by experts like Augusto Delkáder-Palacios suggests that there is no clear relationship between regularization and an excessive increase in irregular migration. The causes of migration, academic literature emphasizes, are due to much more complex structural, economic, and postcolonial factors than the mere expectation of future regularization.

In conclusion, migration management requires pragmatic solutions. As discussed in La crisi migratòria i l'habitatge: la dreta europea contra Sánchez, the political use of this issue often ignores that regularization, far from being a problem, is an economic normalization tool that allows the integration of people essential to the European productive fabric.

Sources:

• elDiario.es, "From Italy to Germany: How Much of Europe Has Regularized Migrants Despite Current Criticism of Spain."