More than 1.17 million applications. That is the figure resulting from the special regularization process launched this year in Spain. And it has served as the backdrop for the Second Immigration Congress being held by the ICAM in Madrid: it began on Wednesday and ends on Friday.
The meeting was opened by Emilio Ramírez Matos, a member of the ICAM Governing Board responsible for immigration matters. His message, repeated several times: the work of lawyers is not measured in cases, but in the people and families behind each one. He advocated for a legal profession that engages with government agencies without giving up on demanding rights—which is not the same as remaining silent—and presented the congress as a forum to identify where the application of regulations falls short and to collectively propose improvements.
Pilar Cancela, Secretary of State for Migration, spoke on behalf of the government. She acknowledged the role of the Madrid Bar Association and advocated for orderly, regulated, and secure migration management, but without sacrificing safeguards. She emphasized the development of the European Union’s Pact on Migration and Asylum, in which she wants Spain to prioritize a human rights perspective over a purely security-based one. And she warned against the rise of racist and xenophobic rhetoric: migrants must not be dehumanized.
Pilar Trinidad, the government’s subdelegate in Madrid, provided the specific figures. In the Community of Madrid, 202,424 applications were filed—the second-highest number among Spain’s autonomous communities. And one statistic speaks volumes: nearly six out of every ten online applications originated from law firms. The challenge ahead, she summarized, is to balance administrative efficiency with safeguards, through understandable rules and well-reasoned decisions.
The conference also turned its attention to Ceuta, following the events at the end of July, and to the operational challenges faced by the National Police due to the volume of residence permits pending issuance. This was presented by Jaime Nicolás González, commissioner of the Madrid Immigration Brigade.
So what does all this mean if you’re in the middle of a legal process? It means that legal representation is no longer a luxury. Review your documentation, clearly document your personal circumstances, and avoid mistakes that will later require corrections. If your case gets complicated, don’t let it slide. And if you’ve already submitted your paperwork, keep copies of everything and keep an eye on the deadlines for correcting errors, because that’s where many applications fall through the cracks.
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