{
  "id": 11493733,
  "title": "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.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/russian-political-researcher-alexander-finiarel-has-lived-in-spain",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-02T17:54:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/10/02/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"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2026, Spain is granting legal status to around 500,000 undocumented migrants, but around 1.2 million have applied. One of them is Russian political researcher Alexander Finiarel, who has been living in Spain without papers for two years. Finiarel, who moved to Spain with 64 other Russian journalists, activists, and human rights defenders from Georgia, initially had no intention of becoming an undocumented immigrant. However, an agreement with Spain's Foreign Ministry fell apart after the first group arrived, leaving many without papers or a clear legal status.\n\nFiniarel applied for asylum, basing his claim on political persecution, and eventually received a five-year tourist visa to enter Spain. This visa allows him to travel around Europe, as he cannot leave Spain while seeking international protection. A year and a half after arriving, Spain announced an extraordinary legalization program, which doesn't require proof of integration, making it easy for Finiarel and others who moved from Georgia to obtain a residence permit based on their ties to Spain.\n\nHowever, living without legal status in Spain comes with challenges. Finding housing is difficult due to the high demand in popular areas like Madrid and the coasts. Landlords prefer people with legal status, and renters can be difficult to evict due to strong tenant protections. Finiarel has also avoided border checks, as few employees verify how many days a refugee has spent in the EU. Despite these challenges, Finiarel remains optimistic about the upcoming legal status grants.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [
    "Russian political researcher Alexander Finiarel lives in Spain without papers for two years.",
    "Spain to grant legal status to 500,000 undocumented migrants in 2026.",
    "Finiarel received five-year tourist visa, enabling travel across Europe."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}