Spain to give legal status to migrants affected by deadly floods

MADRID — Spain's leftist government said on Tuesday it will give one-year residence and work permits to undocumented migrants affected by last year's devastating floods that killed over 200 people.

The measure approved by the cabinet is part of the government's recovery response to the October 2024 disaster, which laid waste to swathes of the eastern Valencia region, an industrial and agricultural powerhouse.

The one-year permits will be granted due to the "exceptional circumstances" faced by illegal migrants during Spain's worst floods in decades, the migration ministry said in a statement.

Once they expire, they can be renewed through regular channels.

Foreigners who lost relatives in the floods will be given five-year residency while foreigners who were living legally in the affected area can request that their residency permits be automatically renewed.

Permits can be denied if there are concerns over public order, security or health, according to the ministry.

The government expects the measures will benefit at least 25,000 people.

The man charged by the regional government of Valencia to lead the reconstruction effort, retired General Francisco Jose Gan Pampols, welcomed the measure, saying many companies in the affected area struggled to find workers.

"If these people can carry out any of the many jobs that need doing in the region, they are more than welcome," he told reporters.

Unlike most of his peers in Europe, Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has adopted an open stance on migration, arguing the country needs immigrants to fill workforce gaps and counteract an ageing population that could imperil pensions and the welfare state.

His government in November announced an immigration law reform regularising tens of thousands more migrants per year.

The October 2024 floods caused significant damage in about 80 cities and claimed 232 lives nationwide, with most of the deaths in Valencia.