Spain has revealed plans to grant residency and work permits to about 300,000 illegal migrants in the country for the next three years.
The country's migration minister, Elma Saiz who stated this in an interview with national broadcaster Radio Nacional de España, said the policy will take effect next May and aims to expand the country's ageing workforce.
She said Spain needs around 250,000 registered foreign workers a year to maintain its welfare state, arguing that the legalization policy is not aimed solely at cultural wealth and respect for human rights.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has often described his government's migration policies as a means to combat the country's low birthrate.
The new policy, approved Tuesday by Sánchez's leftist minority coalition government, simplifies administrative procedures for short and long-term visas and provides migrants with additional labour protections.
According to the Spanish Interior Ministry, by mid-November, about 54,000 migrants had reached Spain this year by sea or land, adding that the exact number of foreigners living in Spain illegally is not clear.