Spain will hold an early general election on 29 November 2026. Immigration has become one of the central issues in the campaign, following the 2026 extraordinary regularization process and the irregular arrival of approximately 70,000 people in Ceuta at the end of July.
The main political parties have markedly different positions on the immigration model. However, as at the date of this alert, none has proposed changes to the specific corporate mobility routes for highly qualified professionals, intra-company transferees, EU Blue Card holders or international remote workers. The ultimate impact will depend on the composition of the next government, which Vialto Partners is monitoring closely.
The election was called on 29 October 2026, and the election campaign will run from 13 to 27 November. It follows a period of strong growth in Spain’s foreign-born population. According to the National Statistics Institute, as of 1 July 2026, 7.4 million foreign nationals were living in Spain (14.9% of the population), while 10.3 million residents had been born abroad (20.7%).
Between April and June 2026, the outgoing Government opened an extraordinary regularization process for foreign nationals already living in Spain without legal status, which received 1,174,978 applications. In parallel, the new Immigration Regulations entered into force in May 2025 and were partially annulled by the Supreme Court in July 2026. Investor residence, commonly known as the “golden visa”, was also abolished in April 2025.
No party has yet published its full election manifesto. The positions summarized below are based on party documents, parliamentary initiatives and statements made ahead of the campaign.
Center-left and left: The Socialist Party (PSOE), led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is seeking re-election, supports maintaining the regularization process and implementing a Comprehensive Labour Mobility Strategy. This would include recruitment in countries of origin, attracting highly qualified talent and streamlining the recognition of qualifications. Its current government partners, the Frente Amplio coalition and Podemos, emphasize legal entry routes and procedural safeguards.
Center-right and right: The People’s Party (PP), led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, proposes a points-based visa assessing education, experience, language skills and integration. It would be accompanied by annual quotas by country and sector, reserved for countries that cooperate on returns. The PP also proposes prohibiting general regularization processes by law and making settlement-based residence and family reunification exceptional. Vox, led by Santiago Abascal, proposes repealing the regularization process, the “remigration” of foreign nationals who are irregularly resident or commit offences, and “national priority” in access to benefits, public services and housing. It also proposes incentives for hiring Spanish workers.
Nationalist and regional parties: Their shared feature is a demand for immigration powers to be devolved. In Catalonia, Junts per Catalunya seeks authority for the Generalitat to manage permits and removals. In the Basque Country, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and EH Bildu seek comprehensive powers for the region; in Navarre, Unión del Pueblo Navarro (UPN) seeks responsibility for managing work permits. In the Canary Islands and Galicia, Coalición Canaria and the Bloque Nacionalista Galego (BNG), respectively, focus their proposals on shared responsibility by the State and reception safeguards for irregular migrants and asylum seekers.
The election debate is focused on irregular immigration, regularization and border management. Permits under Law 14/2013, which are the routes most widely used for corporate mobility, are not currently part of the controversy. Nevertheless, several proposals could have a direct or indirect impact on companies and internationally mobile employees:
As regards the electoral outlook, most polls published by private polling organizations in October place the PP as the leading party. They also give the PP and Vox, together, more seats than the absolute-majority threshold of 176, although none gives the PP a majority on its own. By contrast, the October barometer published by the publicly owned Centre for Sociological Research (CIS) provides a different estimate and places the PSOE as the party with the highest share of the vote. Nevertheless, under the scenario indicated by most polls, the PP’s and Vox’s immigration proposals would become particularly relevant in the next parliamentary term.
As the polls indicate, the formation of a government will depend on parliamentary arithmetic and the negotiations that follow, which may take several weeks. Whether changes will be made to corporate immigration policy, and the extent of any such changes, remains uncertain, although general immigration policy is likely to be reviewed during the next parliamentary term.
Vialto will update this alert after the election manifestos are published and again once the results are known.
Vialto will continue to monitor developments and their potential impact on companies and employees. If you have any questions, please contact your usual Vialto Partners representative or:
Elena Pérez Martin
Director, Immigration Spain
José Ignacio Rodríguez Domingo
Senior Manager, Immigration Spain
Elena Román Rodríguez
Manager, Immigration Spain
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