00:01Long queues form across Spain as undocumented migrants race to register before the government's
00:07regularisation programme closes. More than one million migrants and asylum seekers have
00:13applied so far in a scheme that contrasts with Europe's wider immigration crackdown.
00:19Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has defended the policy.
00:27We do this not only for the sake of consistency, but also out of a sense of responsibility.
00:33We do it too because it is the sensible thing to do in a country like the rest of the
00:39West
00:39that is facing a population decline. Immigration alongside the family policies that this government
00:47has been implementing for some time now, as I said earlier, helps to meet those labour
00:52needs, as well as sustaining the welfare state and keeping many regions alive. Almost half
00:59of GDP growth since 2022 can be attributed to the arrival of migrants. Around 20% of growth
01:06in recent years is linked to their contribution. When therefore we integrate as a country,
01:11what we are doing is moving forward, growing and progressing together.
01:17The programme grants eligible migrants a one-year residence and work permit provided they can
01:23prove a clean criminal record and that they were living in Spain or had sought asylum before
01:29the eligibility deadline.
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