Graduates of Austrian universities and universities of applied sciences

Graduates from third countries

Residence Permit to search for employment or start a business

If you are a third-country national who has pursued and successfully completed his/her studies or his/her compulsory training after studies you may renew your residence permit "Students" for a period of twelve months for the purpose of searching for employment, or starting a business provided that you fulfil the general requirements under Austrian settlement and residence law (such as sufficient means of subsistence, health insurance coverage etc.)

Red-White-Red Card for graduates

If, within these twelve months, you receive an employment offer from a specified employer (work contract) which matches your level of qualification, you can apply for a Red-White-Red Card without a labour market test, provided that you also fulfil the following requirements:

• you get paid the locally customary gross minimum salary which comparable Austrian graduates (junior employees) would receive and
• you fulfil the general requirements under Austrian settlement and residence law (health insurance coverage).

Please note:

For graduates, there is no points system. The Red-White-Red Card allows you to settle temporarily in Austria and to work for the employer specified in your application. You can obtain a Red-White-Red Card if you have graduated from an Austrian university, university of applied sciences, private college, or private university as defined by the Private Higher Education Act (PrivHG). You have to prove that you have successfully completed a diploma programme at least from the second stage of studies, a bachelor's programme, a master's programme oder a doctoral programme.

When will a Red-White-Red Card be issued?

The Residence Authority forwards your application, along with the submitted documents, to the Public Employment Service (AMS). The AMS verifies whether you hold the required academic degree and whether the employment offers adequate compensation.

If all requirements are met, the AMS sends a confirmation to the Residence Authority, and the Residence Authority issues the Red-White-Red Card, provided that the other general requirements (excluding locally customary housing and sufficient means of support) are met.

The Red-White-Red Card entitles you to temporary residence and employment with the company specified in the application; it also entitles you to engage in self-employment, provided that this is subordinate to your employment as a wage earner and all legal requirements for such self-employment are met.

In the event of a change of employer, holders of a “Red-White-Red Card” residence permit may provisionally begin their new employment after a 45-day waiting period from the date the application to change the purpose of the permit to obtain an additional residence permit with access to the labour market is submitted. However, this waiting period begins only if the documents required for reviewing the application are submitted in full; otherwise—that is, if documents are not submitted or are incomplete—the 45-day period is suspended accordingly

Required documents for a Red-White-Red Card

• Valid travel document (e.g. passport)
• Photograph not older than half a year (size: 45x35 mm)
• Proof of health insurance cover covering all risks (compulsory insurance or equivalent insurance policy)
• Proof of successful completion of studies or corresponding training

If the authority so requires, other documents may also have to be produced.

PLEASE NOTE:

It is permissible to make a declaration of liability for a residence permit "Students".
In order to switch to a "Red-White-Red Card", the legal requirements must be met.

Red-White-Red Card plus for graduates

You may apply for a Red-White-Red Card plus with unlimited labour market access if you were employed in accordance with the eligibility criteria for at least 21 months during the preceding 24 months.

You can find more information on the Red-White-Red Card plus here. 

Further information and useful links

Application forms

• Application form and Employer's declaration

Laws and provisions

• Settlement and Residence Act (German)
• Act Governing the Employment of Foreign Nationals (German)
• Visa requirements (German)

Links

• Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (English)
• Austrian consular representations (English)