In Spain, the right to bonuses has been officially granted to civil servants who will be involved in a large-scale campaign for the accelerated legalization of migrants. As noted by Talent24h, the relevant provision was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado and is related to the implementation of the provisions of Real Decreto 316/2026. This measure applies only to employees who are directly involved in the work of special offices created to receive and process applications.
Who is eligible for payments
The bonuses do not apply to all public sector employees — they are exclusively for those involved in the new process. In particular, payments are provided for participation in accepting applications, preparation and training, as well as for working on an extended schedule. All additional expenses, including salaries, are covered by the Secretaría de Estado de Migraciones.
As part of the campaign, the state will also compensate costs for security, cleaning, technical maintenance, and the development of necessary IT systems. This approach allows resources to be focused on key stages of the process and ensures its smooth operation.
Process organization
The legalization campaign is based on the provisions of Real Decreto 316/2026, which came into force on April 16. The new procedure applies to foreigners who were in Spain before January 1, 2026, and meet the established criteria. To handle the large volume of applications, the authorities will involve not only the Migraciones structure but also territorial branches of the Seguridad Social.
According to the published agreement, the Secretaría de Estado de la Seguridad Social y Pensiones, Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social, Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social, and Gerencia de Informática are joining the process. This allows the workload to be shared among different agencies and speeds up the processing of documents.
The role of staff
The tasks assigned to the involved staff are clearly defined: they help applicants use electronic services, scan and attach documents, return originals, and issue confirmation of application receipt. At the same time, the review and decision-making on cases remain the responsibility of the Migraciones authorities — Seguridad Social staff do not participate in evaluating the content of documents.
Thus, these administrative reinforcements are aimed at organizing the intake and technical processing of applications, without affecting the distribution of powers between agencies.
Geography and work schedule
To implement the campaign across the country, special offices are being opened — at least one in each provincial capital. In regions expected to see high demand, such as Alicante, Malaga, Murcia, and Valencia, there will be two locations each, and in Madrid and Barcelona — three. This approach allows for a flexible response to demand and an even distribution of application flow.
A key feature will be the temporary extension of office hours: from April 20 to June 30, 2026, offices will be open for visitors in the afternoons, from 16:00 to 19:00 on weekdays. This decision was made exclusively to support the accelerated legalization process and accounts for the need for additional personnel costs.
Context and reactions
In parallel with the launch of the migrant legalization campaign in Spain, tensions are rising among civil servants. The CSIF union has announced a series of protest actions and a general strike at the Agencia Tributaria, scheduled for June 8. The reasons include not only increased workload but also discussions over compensation for participation in emergency operations. Similar issues regarding fair support for workers are being raised in other fields as well — for example, in the legal profession, where a support program for future judges and prosecutors was recently launched and described in more detail in the article about new opportunities for young specialists.
Overall, the decision to award bonuses to officials involved in the accelerated legalization process reflects an attempt by the state to promptly respond to the challenges of migration policy and support those who implement the new rules in practice.
