A Venezuelan Nurse in Barcelona Is Among the First to Receive Residency Under the Mass Legalisation

Camila Herrera, a 23-year-old nurse from Venezuela living in Barcelona, has become one of the first people in Spain to receive a residence permit under the mass migrant legalisation programme. The document confirms her right to live and work — as an employee or as self-employed — anywhere in the country and in any sector. "I am, of course, stunned and happy," Camila told El País.

Camila arrived in Spain in September 2024, where her mother was already living. Before leaving her home country, she had completed her nursing training. In May 2025, she applied for asylum but never received a response. Without documentation, she was forced to work unofficially as a waitress in a Barcelona bar — €6 an hour, seven-hour shifts, one day off a week. She now works as a nurse at the Clínica Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Camila explains that her family left Venezuela because they had little money and wanted to build a better life.

The mass legalisation programme was launched by the government on 15 April 2026. Authorities estimate it will benefit around 500,000 foreign nationals, of whom approximately 300,000 are refugees awaiting decisions on applications for international protection. The government has committed to processing each application within 15 days, after which the migrant receives the right to work for up to three months while the final review of their case continues.

Legal assistance was provided to Camila by the Madrid law firm Legalteam. Its director, Morales Cata — a Cuban émigré himself — noted that his team began submitting applications from the very first minutes after the Mercurio electronic portal opened at midnight on 15 April. He argues that legalising migrants benefits everyone. "All migrants come to work in jobs that Spaniards don't want to take — they are not taking anything from anyone. The number of contributions to the social security system will increase sharply," he says.

Camila told El País that she plans to celebrate receiving her residency permit with her mother, who has also submitted a legalisation application and is currently cleaning Spanish homes while waiting for her own documents.