Recent trends indicate that European countries are admitting more foreign workers to fill labour shortages caused by ageing populations and the increasing globalisation. The changing labour environment is reflected in the advent of new technologies, different labour standards giving rise to an increase in self-employed economic activities, and a greater diversity in working times and practices.Consequently, some European countries have adopted new laws and policies in order to attract both highly-skilled and less skilled foreign workers. However, the legal status of these migrants has become a matter of concern. The new measures do not entirely meet the established principles and standards of the Council of Europe aimed at protecting the rights of migrant workers, such as those of the European Social Charter and the European Convention on the Legal Status of Migrant Workers.This study focuses on the rules relating to the legal status of the main categories of migrant workers admitted for employment in some Council of Europe member states. It considers the important question of whether these national rules are structured in a way to assist migrants in their integration in the host country, in terms of granting them a secure residence status and economic and social rights, or whether they discourage or even prevent such integration.
