Fact-checking claims that Spain's legalised migrants can move to other EU countries

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's determination to assistance an estimated 500,000 undocumented migrants ineligible presumption has sparked a lively statement astir migration crossed Europe, but besides opened the doorway to a bid of misleading claims.

In an X station connected 14 April, Jordan Bardella, person of the French far-right National Rally party, claimed that recently documented individuals "will time beryllium capable to question freely successful France and adjacent settee there, attracted by the generosity of our societal system, which is unfastened without conditions."

Bruno Retailleau, the campaigner from France's blimpish Republicans party, besides called for the closure of borders wrong the Schengen abstraction — a portion of 29 European countries with unfastened borders and state of question — successful effect to Spain's regularisation plan.

However, the Spanish authorities has made it wide precisely however the strategy volition enactment and what rights volition beryllium granted to those benefiting from it.

Under Sánchez's programme, undocumented migrants who person lived successful Spain for astatine slightest 5 months tin use for a one-year impermanent residence permit.

They indispensable person a cleanable transgression grounds and person until 30 June to use for a renewable moving visa.

Therefore, contrary to Bardella's claim, the Spanish government's program does not mean that recently documented individuals volition beryllium escaped to determination to France oregon different EU countries connected a one-year enactment permit.

They volition beryllium capable to reside and enactment solely successful Spain, but not successful immoderate different EU subordinate state.

Can Spain's regularised migrants settee successful different EU countries?

With Spain's enactment permit, fixed that the state is successful the Schengen area, recently documented individuals volition beryllium capable to question to different European countries for up to 90 days wrong a 180-day window.

However, they volition not beryllium capable to enactment determination long-term, and overmuch little enactment down immoderate roots.

Monique Pariat, migration argumentation advisor astatine the Institut Jacques Delors, told Euronews' fact-checking team, The Cube, that third-country nationals successful the EU "can settee successful a state lone if you are permitted to bash truthful by the authorities."

"If these individuals person a pupil presumption oregon received a occupation declaration successful France, past yes, they could stay," she said. "But it is highly improbable successful immoderate lawsuit that France would connection them a visa, portion they person a one-year enactment licence successful Spain."

Can the regularised migrants entree different EU healthcare systems?

Bardella besides claimed that individuals holding a Spanish enactment licence would beryllium capable to summation entree to France's societal information system, "which is unfastened to each without conditions."

However, recently regularised migrants volition beryllium covered by Spain's societal information system, not France's.

"Either Spanish societal information volition beryllium billed [for aesculapian treatment], oregon if they are not covered, they volition wage for the outgo themselves", said Pariat.

"This means that these individuals can't travel to France and say, 'Oh, I privation to alteration each of my teeth'," she continued. "There is nary consciousness successful them doing that, due to the fact that they volition beryllium covered successful Spain. What would beryllium the constituent of travelling to France?"

Conservative deliberation vessel Funcas estimated that astir 840,000 undocumented migrants lived successful Spain successful aboriginal 2025, with the bulk hailing from Latin American countries.

In 2025, Spain besides stood retired arsenic 1 of the eurozone's top-performing economies.

"France is not arsenic charismatic arsenic immoderate politicians mightiness deliberation oregon claim, particularly for radical who talk Spanish, person ties to Spain oregon already enactment there", Catherine Wihtol de Wenden, elder researcher chap astatine France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), told us.

"In immoderate case, these are radical who person transnational ties betwixt their state and Spain", she added.

Spain is not the lone state addressing its labour shortage done visas. Italy's caller three-year decree connected migration volition spot 500,000 caller arrivals betwixt 2026 and 2028.