First day of in-person service for immigrant regularization: "It's going to change my life economically"

This Monday began the in-person services for the extraordinary regularization of immigrants. Those who have already gathered all the documentation and have made an appointment ... to present it can now start the application process today at a total of 26 post offices throughout the province designated for this purpose, in addition to two offices of the National Institute of Social Security in the capital of Malaga. Additionally, there are more than fifteen social entities helping migrants to meet the requirements, such as proving that they have been residing in Spain since at least December 31, 2025, which is the rule to qualify for the process. Although there are also cases where mutual support works, help among people from the same migrant community.

Thus, Mercedes, a 33-year-old from China who has been in Spain for fifteen years and, therefore, with her situation regularized in the country, accompanies her friend Youe, 56 years old, to submit the documents at the post office on Héroe de Sostoa, 194, in the capital. It is the first appointment granted for this purpose in this branch. Youe barely understands Spanish, so Mercedes has been helping her since last year to complete the documentation, because she was seeking regularization through social integration, which requires two years of proven residence in Spain. And Youe has been in Malaga for a year and a half. Thus, the extraordinary regularization that started today has shortened her wait to be able to live in Spain legally. And since she had some bureaucratic work advanced, she was able to submit her papers this Monday, the first day of the term: "It has been easy to justify these five months with the registration and the bills. Also, the certificate of no criminal record, which she requested from the Chinese consulate. And she also has a pre-contract at a clothing store," explains Mercedes. She says she is nervous and very excited, Mercedes acts as Youe's interpreter, emphasizing that until recently, without legal residence in Spain, she could not have health care except in emergencies - after the reform of the law that restores universal health care, anyone can now be attended in the public system, but before, Mercedes says, one had to go to private health care, in fact, as proof of residence she provides bills from the private doctor.

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The moment arrives to present the papers to the post office workers, who take a good while to check that the woman attaches all the photocopied pages of the passport, that there is proof she has no criminal record, that she has a pre-employment contract, that her parents' names are included. Everything is in order. S. M., 33 years old from Colombia, is the second in line at this post office this Monday. He shows in his passport the stamp that proves he entered Spain on July 30, 2023. He was also following the procedures to obtain residence through social integration, but "it takes a long time and there are many denials," he says, "the extraordinary regularization will be faster." He is nervous and excited: "It will change my life. Now I work part-time off the books, I don't have a bank account, but my boss has already made me a pre-contract to help me with the regularization. Now, when I get the papers, my relatives will be able to visit me and I will be able to go to my country sometimes," he explains. He also complains that being a technologist in business administration, he has not been able to dedicate himself to his field due to not having the proper documentation. "Without being regular, foreigners get whatever comes our way. I've also experienced street situations for not having papers," he concludes. The young man is missing the photocopies of the passport, but quickly a post office worker offers to make them page by page. The regularization is a cooperative process.

The process at the Vialia office

Severiano Jimeno, coordinator of processes and resources in the southern area of the network of post offices, explains that the operation at the post offices to develop the procedures is functioning normally, except for a small computer incident early in the morning. "The service is operating quite smoothly," he told SUR. At the Vialia office, around noon, about a dozen people had already been attended to. In Andalusia, 89 offices are available for people who want to regularize their situation in Spain. Of these, thirteen or fourteen offices had all the appointments taken for the morning shift. As for Malaga, there were offices with about twenty appointments taken, while in others there were only three or four people scheduled. "In the coming days, as people see the normalcy with which it operates, either through 060 or through the Ministry of Inclusion, the appointments will be completed," Jimeno comments, detailing that in recent days workers have been trained and various manuals have been deployed: "Really, the work we have to do at the post offices is to receive the documentation and upload it to the Ministry. We have to verify the identity of the person coming and that they bring valid documentation. But if someone is missing a document, there is no problem, because the Ministry itself establishes from July 1 a period of corrections: the person will be required the document they did not provide and will have to send it through the post office."