SPAIN: Mass Migrant Regularization & more – 29th Jan 2026

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 29th of January twenty twenty-six. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

Sadly, we have to kick off this episode with yet another transport accident. On Thursday, the 22nd, Spain experienced its fourth rail accident in less than a week after a commuter train collided with a crane near the port city of Cartagena in the Murcia in the south, injuring four people.

The train, however, didn’t derail or overturn, and services later resumed after a temporary disruption.

This latest crash followed a series of serious rail accidents that have shaken the country. In response to the incidents, Spain’s main train drivers’ union called a nationwide strike over rail safety standards, highlighting growing concerns about infrastructure and operational risks.

Speaking of the train tragedies, on Monday the 26th the government announced that it had approved a 20 million euros compensation package for victims and families affected by the high-speed train crash near Adamuz, Andalucia, in the south.

It aims to deliver rapid financial support while avoiding lengthy legal processes that often delay compensation. Families of those who died will receive over 200,000 euros per victim, combining direct state aid, advances on compulsory passenger insurance, and additional insurance payouts, with direct aid being tax-free.

Injured passengers will receive between 2,400 euros and 84,000 euros, depending on the severity of the injury and long-term impact. The government said the payments do not prevent further legal action.

On another note, on Tuesday, the 27th, the central government has agreed to launch its first mass migrant regularization in twenty years, granting legal status to more than 500,000 irregular migrants.

The ruling was approved by royal decree and creates a fast-track route to residence for foreign nationals who can prove they were living in Spain before the 31st of December twenty twenty-five and have at least five months of continuous stay. The measure will suspend ongoing expulsion procedures and issue a one-year provisional residence permit.

Beneficiaries will immediately gain work authorization, access to public healthcare and social security registration. The political party Podemos estimates over half a million people will qualify, while other estimates reach 600,000. The government says the move will reduce Spain’s underground migrant population, reduce labour exploitation and ultimately benefit the economy.

In some news on employment, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute on Tuesday, the 27th, Spain’s unemployment rate has fallen below 10% for the first time in eighteen years, signalling a strengthening labor market.

The unemployment rate declined to almost 10% in the fourth quarter of twenty twenty-five, down from nearly 11% in the previous quarter, marking its lowest level since early two thousand eight. The last time unemployment stood below the 10% threshold was in the first quarter of two thousand eight, when it reached 9.6%, just before the global financial crisis.

Carlos Cuerpo, the Economy Minister, said the private sector was the main driver of employment growth, accounting for 92% of new jobs created in twenty twenty-five. He described the figures as evidence of a more stable and resilient labor market, with higher-quality employment supporting a long-term increase in the money supply.

Next, the political party Más Madrid has launched a high-profile campaign against real estate speculation in the capital, marked by giant banners on residential buildings reading They’re robbing Madrid of you.

The campaign criticizes housing policies of both the Madrid City Council and the regional government, accusing them of failing to guarantee access to affordable housing. The buildings chosen are symbolic sites where residents are facing pressure to leave from real estate companies.

The campaign was launched over the weekend and aims to link rising rents, housing insecurity, and the loss of neighborhood identity to broader cuts and privatization in public services such as healthcare, education, and transport. Más Madrid has said that data, including a 50% rent increase under Mayor Almeida, over 15,000 unregulated tourist apartments, and low youth independence rates, are the leading reasons for the launch of the campaign.

Staying in the capital, Madrid’s Prado Museum is introducing a visitor cap after welcoming a record 3.5 million people in twenty twenty-five, as crowds have overwhelmed the museum, making the experience increasingly unpleasant for everyone.

While the exact cap has not yet been announced, the plan also seeks to protect the museum’s infrastructure and improve the experience for local visitors, who made up only 35% of last year’s audience. Measures will include optimizing entrances and reducing the size of guided groups. This approach follows a trend among other major tourist sites, such as the Acropolis in Greece and Pompeii in Italy, which have implemented visitor restrictions to balance preservation with accessibility.

In sports, on Wednesday, the 28th, Rafael Louzan, the president of the Spanish football federation, has declared that the country will host the final of the twenty thirty FIFA World Cup, which is being co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

Speaking at an event in Madrid, Louzan said Spain’s long track record of organizing major sporting events makes the country the natural venue for the tournament’s showpiece match, though he did not specify a stadium.

Louzan acknowledged Morocco’s investment in new stadiums but raised concerns about organizational problems and fan disruptions during the recent Africa Cup of Nations final.

On a fresh look at higher education, Letara Draghia from Euroweekly released an article about how alternative education in Spain is gaining momentum, particularly among immigrant families seeking alternatives to traditional, exam-focused schooling.

This trend has accelerated post-pandemic as parents increasingly question whether conventional education adequately prepares children for the future. Education centers like the Pathways School in San Enrique de Guadiaro near Cadiz in Andalucia, in the south, aim to address the lack of alternative options for students aged between fourteen and eighteen. The school prioritizes project-based, student-led learning alongside core academic subjects, with teachers acting as mentors and assessment based on continuous feedback rather than grades.

Wanna know more? Link in the show notes.

In entertainment news, Galician-French director Oliver Laxe’s movie Sirât has earned two nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, for Best International Feature Film and Best Sound.

The Spanish drama, which explores a father’s search for his daughter within rave culture across Morocco, has been celebrated for its adventurous storytelling and homage to nineteen seventies cinema. Laxe and his team watched the announcement in Madrid, with sound designers Laia Casanovas, Amanda Villavieja, and Yasmina Praderas making history as the first all-female team nominated in that category.

Since premiering at Cannes, where it won the Jury Prize, Sirât has been commercially successful in Spain, drawing thousands of viewers and generating over 3 million euros in box-office revenue. The film also swept five awards at the European Film Awards, including editing, sound, and cinematography.

With January almost over, let’s take a look at some travel benefits across the country that will continue throughout the year. Spain will maintain its wide-ranging public transport discounts throughout twenty twenty-six after Congress approved an extension of reduced fares on Tuesday, the 27th.

The measures apply to state, regional, and local transport and include the introduction of a new nationwide travel pass. This monthly pass costs sixty euros and allows unlimited travel on state-run buses, Cercanías commuter trains and medium-distance rail services. It will have a reduced thirty-euro rate for people under twenty-six.

And finally…an incredible story of a determined little feline. A cat that went missing in Spain stunned his owners by returning home to France after apparently traveling nearly 155 miles (250 kilometers) all by himself.

Filou, owned by Patrick and Evelyne Sire of Olonzac, escaped from their camper during a fuel stop at a gas station in Maçanet de la Selva, Catalunya, in August twenty twenty-five. The couple did not realize he was gone until the following morning. Despite returning to the area several times and searching for weeks, they didn’t find the cat.

However, in mid-January of this year, a resident from a nearby town, less than a mile (1.6 km) from the Sires’ home, contacted them after caring for a thin, coughing cat she had been feeding since December after seeing a notice of a missing cat. A veterinarian scan of the animal’s microchip confirmed it was Filou. How he navigated such a distance remains a mystery.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

¡Hasta la próxima!