Spain opens visa amnesty for immigrants
Illegal immigrants lined up at their consulates seeking documents to help them qualify to live and work in Spain under a three-month amnesty that began today.
The Socialist government projects about 800,000 illegal immigrants will apply by May 7. The goal is to reduce worker exploitation and tax evasion.
Under five previous amnesties during the past 15 years, about two million people – mostly from Latin America, north Africa and eastern Europe – who had arrived in Spain without proper documentation were legalised.
To qualify for amnesty, employers must provide evidence that applicants have a job, while applicants must document they have no criminal record in their home country and have lived in Spain since before last August.
When the three-month period ends, employers who hire illegal immigrants are subject to fines reaching.
