Russian political researcher Alexander Finiarel has lived in Spain without papers for two years. But soon he (and half a million other refugees) will be able to get documents. This is his story.

In 2026, Spain is granting legal status to large numbers of undocumented migrants. The authorities initially planned to grant status to about 500,000 people, but nearly 1.2 million applied. Russian political researcher and journalist Alexander Finiarel is among those seeking legal status in Spain. He has lived there without it for two years and closely follows migration policy in Europe’s most attractive destination for migrants. At Meduza’s request, Finiarel explains how undocumented migrants live in Spain, what Spaniards think about migration, and how the mass legalization process works from