Canary Coalition warns about the future of Venezuelans in Spain when the current temporary humanitarian residency expires

The Diplomat The Canary Coalition has called on the Government to guarantee the protection of the more than 200,000 Venezuelans currently in Spain when the current humanitarian residency permits, in effect since 2018, expire on June 30. In June 2018, a ruling by the National Court allowed Venezuelans who applied for asylum—even if their application was denied—to obtain a temporary residency permit with work authorization. In practice, this mechanism has functioned as a nearly automatic regularization pathway, allowing them to reside and work legally for one year, renewable, and facilitating access to Spanish nationality after two years of legal residency. From June 30, 2026, this exceptional pathway will be eliminated, and new applicants will have to follow standard immigration procedures, which entails stricter requirements and a lower likelihood of obtaining a residence permit under humanitarian criteria. In this context, Cristina Valido, a member of parliament for the Canary Coalition, has submitted a written question to the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration requesting clarification on the measures the Government plans to adopt following the end, on June 30, 2026, of granting residence permits for humanitarian reasons to Venezuelan citizens. Valido points out that this mechanism has allowed more than 200,000 people in Spain to regularize their status and warns that its elimination represents a significant shift in migration policy, the consequences of which could be particularly serious in territories like the Canary Islands. In this regard, the MP points out that various associations and groups have warned that thousands of Venezuelan citizens could be left in a situation of legal uncertainty or administrative vulnerability. She also emphasizes that the measure coincides with the extraordinary regularization process currently underway, whose deadline is also June 30, 2026, which could create an overlap that forces many people to restart their applications through more restrictive channels. Valido also warns of the impact this change could have on immigration offices that are already handling a high volume of cases, risking administrative collapse. Furthermore, according to social organizations, there is an increased demand for assistance for vulnerable individuals, without sufficient resources currently available to meet it. Therefore, the Canary Coalition MP asks in her parliamentary question whether the Government plans to adopt transitional or specific measures that guarantee the legal security of the affected Venezuelan citizens and prevent those who already have initiated procedures from being left in a legal and administrative “limbo”, paying special attention to territories with greater pressure such as the Canary Islands.

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