Greek lawmakers prepared to vote late on Monday on a bill allowing migrants to obtain a three-year residency and work permit, a step to tackle labour shortages in key sectors of an economy recovering from a debt crisis. Greece has been a gateway to the European Union for thousands of migrants and asylum seekers from the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe. After emerging from three international bailouts in 2018, Greece, like other European peers, was also hit by an exodus of workers from the labour force during the 2020-21 COVID pandemic, many of whom have never returned.