Spain’s government has unveiled plans to grant legal status to around half a million undocumented migrants, accelerating their integration into the workforce as other European countries move to tighten immigration policies.

Under a draft decree presented on Tuesday, undocumented migrants who have lived in Spain for at least five months by the end of 2025, have no criminal record, or applied for asylum before the year’s end would be eligible for an expedited residence permit, Migration Minister Elma Saiz said.

The measure is expected to benefit roughly 500,000 people, most of them from Latin America. The permits would be valid for one year, or five years in the case of children, and would be renewable. After 10 years, migrants could apply for Spanish citizenship, with shorter timelines available for Latin Americans and refugees.

Saiz said the policy reinforces “a migration model based on human rights and integration, compatible with economic growth and social cohesion,” noting that economists have linked Spain’s strong economic performance and falling unemployment in part to its openness to migrant workers.

Spain’s economy has outperformed many European peers over the past two years, with migrants playing a key role in sectors such as hospitality and care, helping to support the welfare system.

According to research by think tank Funcas, around 840,000 people—about a third of all non-EU migrants in Spain—were undocumented at the start of last year, up sharply from about 100,000 eight years earlier.

A separate citizen-backed proposal to legalise undocumented migrants, supported by 700,000 signatures, hundreds of rights groups and the Catholic Church, has stalled in parliament due to political divisions. The current decree, however, can be approved by the cabinet within weeks without parliamentary backing.