However, this growth and the resultant heightened public consciousness has not been accompanied by more abundant or enriched information regarding the circumstances in which these new arrivals find themselves in Spain. In contrast with other European countries, Spain has compara- tively little experience with managed migration. Between February and May of 2005, the ruling government took a significant step, permitting the normalisation of almost
700 000 immigrants who, although they did not have normalised immigration status, could prove residence in Spain and had a labour contract.3