Welcome to the Federal Government‘s Official Information Website on Migration to Austria!

Austria's flexible immigration model, the Red-White-Red Card, offers qualified third-country workers and their family members a single permit for working and settling permanently in Austria.

On these pages, you can find important information on the Red-White-Red Card, on general immigration requirements and on Austrian working and living conditions.

Use the Points Calculator to check whether you would fulfil the admission criteria!

Note on the Reform of the Red-White-Red Card

On 1 October 2022, amendments to the Act Governing the Employment of Foreign Nationals (AuslBG), the Labour Market Promotion Act (AMFG), the Settlement and Residence Act (NAG) and the Aliens Police Act 2005 will come into force, mainly implementing the following measures:

• Faster processing of procedures
• Easier criteria for obtaining the Red-White-Red Card: changes in the allocation of points for qualifications, work experience and language skills; age-independent minimum salary for Other Key Workers; elimination of the minimum salary for Graduates; extended allocation of points for the criterion "age" for Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations
• Introduction of an employment permit for specialists within the framework of projects
• Inclusion of Regular Workers in Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry in the RWR Card system
• Expansion of the rRgular Seasonal Worker scheme
• Implementation of the new EU Blue Card Directive: facilitating the change of employer and improving the mobility of EU Blue Card holders and lowering of the required minimum wage threshold
• Installation of the ABA WORK in AUSTRIA as a counselling center for companies and skilled workers

Companies and foreign employes can turn to the ABA WORK in AUSTRIA and will be supported in the Red-White-Red – Card procedure. The ABA WORK in AUSTRIA and its employees have no party status in the official procedure. However, they are entitled to obtain information about the status of the procedure, about missing or incomplete documents and about the expected duration of the procedure from the competent authorities, i.e. both the offices of the Public Employment Service and the residence authorities, with a power of attorney from the party(ies) involved in the procedure. They are also entitled to inspect the procedural files in this regard. On its web portal, ABA WORK in AUSTRIA offers a wealth off information on working in Austria, on job opportunities and career possibilities, as well as support and guidance on all the steps required to enter the Austrian labour market.

You will find more detailed information on the individual changes on the following pages. In ongoing proceedings, the authorities will automatically take the new regulations into account, so no further steps are necessary from your side.