La regularización de las personas solicitantes de protección internacional: alternativas ante un horizonte sombrío

This article examines the impact of the new Spanish immigration regulation (RD 1155/2024) on applicants for international protection (IP). Although it introduces a provisional pathway to regularization through the Fifth Transitional Provision, it actually consolidates a restrictive jurisprudence that limits the possibilities of accessing a legal status after the denial of an IP application. Through a comparison with the German system, which has developed flexible mechanisms such as the Spurwechsel (track-change) to facilitate the transition of rejected applicants towards legal residence, the need to consider stable and coherent alternatives adapted to current mobility dynamics becomes evident. The analysis reveals the prevailing tension between integration and control, showing how Spanish policy, aligned with restrictive European trends, places IP applicants in a legal limbo that compromises their rights and inclusion processes.