As of 1 March 2007, Luxembourg had not transposed the EC Directive on long-term residence. After around five years living and working in Luxembourg, migrants are eligible for a long-term residence permit. Time spent studying or waiting for an asylum decision counts. The conditions to become a long-term resident are found to be quite similar to those for family reunion. Luxembourg scored 2nd worst on security and rights associated, similar to IE. Numerous grounds for withdrawal, no absolute protection from expulsion, and few legal guarantees compromise a long-term resident's security under the law. Long-term residents have slightly unfavourable rights. They can lose their right to live in Luxembourg when they retire. In a country so linked to a trans-frontier economy, the law does not guarantee long-term residents the freedom to move and live inside the EU, or the right to hold a long-term residence permit in another Member State.
