Family reunification and the 2026/27 school year: the debate over the real cost

Family reunification and the cost of the 2026/27 school year

How much do migrant family members of school age really cost the public purse? The question has been doing the rounds on economic forums for weeks, and the answer circulating in public debate does not match the one given by the budgets. The 2026/27 school year begins with a rise in family reunifications, a phenomenon that some analysts link to tighter immigration policies in other European countries and others attribute to the pull of Spain's labour market in sectors such as hospitality and construction.

What is on the table is not just an identity debate. It is a discussion about who pays the bill for schools, healthcare and pensions in a country with an inverted demographic pyramid. And as usual, the figures being thrown around on the forums do not always match those published by official bodies.

What is family reunification and why is it surging in 2026?

Family reunification is the right enshrined in Spain's Aliens Law (Ley de Extranjería) that allows a legal resident to bring over their spouse, minor children or dependent parents. In 2026, the volume of applications has grown compared with previous years, according to the figures cited by those affected themselves on immigration forums. The phenomenon is not new: there was already a spike in 2023 after the pandemic, but the 2026/27 school year is seeing an unusually high number of children joining the education system.

Two reasons are cited in the debates. On the one hand, tighter immigration policies in countries such as France or Germany are said to have diverted flows towards Spain. On the other, the Spanish labour market —with record employment rates in low-skilled sectors— acts as a magnet for workers who are already legally resident and bring their families over.

The real cost: what the numbers say versus what people perceive

Here is where the problem starts. The calculations circulating on economic forums put the average cost per pupil at between 4,000 and 6,000 euros a year in state schools, a figure that includes staff, infrastructure and materials. Multiplied by the thousands of new students joining, the result is a bill that some call "unaffordable" and others "a necessary investment".

But the key figure that keeps coming up in the debate is another one: the healthcare spending on reunified elderly relatives. Care for elderly people with chronic illnesses is the item that worries analysts most, because its impact is not annual but cumulative. A single patient with dementia or kidney failure can cost the system more than 30,000 euros a year, according to estimates used by healthcare professionals themselves on specialist forums.

The contradiction is obvious. While some argue that migrants sustain the pension system with their contributions, others contend that the reunification of non-contributing relatives drains public resources. Both things can be true at the same time, and that is the crux of the debate.

The impact on schools: overcrowded classrooms and limited resources

The 2026/27 school year begins with a higher student-teacher ratio in several Spanish regions. Madrid, Catalonia and the Valencian Community are the regions under most pressure, according to the data being shared on the forum. The late arrival of pupils who do not speak Spanish adds a further difficulty: language immersion programmes require support teachers who are not always available.

The debate mentions the case of state schools in areas such as Leganés or Vallecas where the proportion of migrant pupils exceeds 40%. It is not a phenomenon unique to Spain: in France, priority education zones concentrate similar percentages. The difference is that there the political debate is acknowledged; here, it is often denied.

Pensions: the argument that falls apart on its own

For years it was repeated that migrants were coming to pay for Spaniards' pensions. That argument, once a flagship of the official discourse, has gradually been dismantled by the data. Most reunified relatives of advanced age have never contributed in Spain and therefore do not accrue rights to a contributory pension. Another matter entirely are non-contributory pensions and social benefits, access to which depends on bilateral agreements and effective residence.

The result is a paradox: the system receives contributions from young migrant workers, but bears the health and social costs of their elderly relatives. The net balance is positive in some studies and negative in others, depending on whether indirect costs (education, healthcare, housing) are included or only contribution income.

What will happen in the 2026/27 school year?

The honest answer is that nobody knows for sure. Demographic projections point to continued growing pressure on the education and health systems in the coming years, regardless of immigration policies. The reason is simple: Spain's population is ageing, and births are not offsetting deaths.

What can be said is that the debate over family reunification is not going to disappear. It is part of a broader discussion about the welfare state model and about who is entitled to access it. And as with almost everything in economics, the answer depends on what you measure and how you measure it.

In the end, the question hanging over the 2026/27 school year is not how many new pupils are arriving, but how many additional teachers, doctors and beds have been budgeted to look after them. The answer, for now, is the usual one: fewer than needed.