From Gastarbeitersystem to Integration: Legal Aspects of Austrian Migration Policy

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present the most important legal regulations in the field of Austrian migration policy, taking into account the changes in this field, the nature of these changes and their conditions. The research question is whether the successive legal regulations were the result of clearly defined goals (and if so, whether these goals were achieved) or rather a result of passive adaptation to changing conditions. In the context of the slogan of integration advocated in recent years, it also seems essential to ask whether the legal solutions adopted in Austria strengthen integration or constitute an assimilationist tool. The article discusses such issues as the development of the system for the recruitment of foreign workers, changes in the perception of the phenomenon of migration and the reform of legislation in the field of migration policy in Austria. Moreover, attention is drawn to the most important determinants underlying this reform.