Dhaka, April 15 -- Spain's government has approved plans to give legal status to 500,000 undocumented migrants, allowing them to be integrated formally into the workforce.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described his government's decision as both "an act of justice" and a necessity for Spain, reports BBC.

In a letter to Spaniards posted on social media, Sanchez, a socialist, said the mass legalisation sought "to acknowledge the reality of nearly half a million people who already form part of our everyday lives".

Spain's conservative opposition People's Party (PP) has pledged to attempt to block the legalisation, which it said rewards illegal migrants and would encourage more to come.

The government's plan will offer a one-year, renewabl...