World Immigration News

From borders to workplaces: How Europe is reinventing immigration control

Release Date: 2025-08-28
Media: InfoMigrants
Summary: European migration policy has shifted from focusing primarily on border control to regulating access to the labor market. A study by the London School of Economics highlights how Austria, Germany, Ireland, and the UK now impose stricter workplace restrictions on migrants already inside the country. These include job vacancy tests (employers must prove no local workers are available), high wage and qualification thresholds, and rules binding migrants to a single employer for a period of time. Even asylum seekers face long delays before being allowed to work.

Despite different political and economic systems, all four countries have converged on similar policies. Domestic politics, especially fears about job competition following EU expansion in 2004 and 2007, played a larger role in shaping these changes than either EU rules or economic models.

At the same time, these countries are actively trying to attract highly skilled workers through special visa schemes and points-based systems, especially in sectors facing labor shortages like healthcare, IT, and engineering. However, the study warns that increasing restrictions on migrant labor risk worsening staff shortages in key industries and slowing economic responsiveness.

The trend reflects a new kind of protectionism—not shutting migrants out at the border, but tightly controlling their access to jobs once inside. This approach allows governments to appear protective of local workers while still meeting some labor demands, but it reduces migrants' rights and mobility. Ultimately, the study concludes, national governments remain in firm control of migration policy, balancing political pressures with economic necessity.
Tags: Europe

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