Austria Job Seeker Visa and Red-White-Red Card Visa 2025

You can’t afford to miss this update if you’re an international professional considering Austria as your next professional destination! With effect from 2025, Austria has updated the requirements for two of its most important work visa programs: the Red-White-Red Card Visa and the Job Seeker Visa. Because skilled workers will be directly impacted by these changes, it is crucial that professionals and job seekers are aware of the new qualifying requirements, point system adjustments, and wage thresholds before applying.

So, what’s different now?

According to these modifications, the requirements for Austria’s Red-White-Red Card Visa in 2025 will be more stringent but also more lucrative. What’s different is this:

1. Higher Salary Threshold: A minimum salary of €3,225 per month (formerly €3,030 in 2024) is now required of employers. This entails slightly greater eligibility requirements but also better pay.
2. Points System Changes:
   • Work Experience: Points are now awarded once every six months instead of twice a year, which may make point accumulation a little more slow.
   • English Language Proficiency Recognized: Professionals employed by global corporations can more easily qualify if they speak English well.

Due to changes in experience and salary, the visa is now slightly more competitive but still more accessible for English-speaking, qualified professionals. Do you want to apply for this program?

Read Also: Austria Job Seeker VISA With Family VISA

Why is this crucial?

You must match your qualifications and job search tactics with these new eligibility requirements if you intend to apply for Austria’s Job Seeker Visa in order to find employment or a Red-White-Red Card in order to work and reside in Austria.

To increase your chances of finding employment in Austria in 2025, this article will guide you through the application procedure, updated eligibility requirements, and each type of visa. Continue reading to make sure you don’t pass up this chance.

Eligibility Requirements for Austria Job Seeker Visa (2025)

Highly qualified professionals can enter Austria for six months to search for work with the Austria Job Seeker Visa, a temporary visa. In order to be eligible, candidates must receive at least 70 points out of 100 on this point-based system. The following conditions must be met in order for candidates to be eligible for the 2025 Job Seeker Visa for Austria:

Meet the Minimum Point Requirement (70/100 Points System)

Qualifications, job history, language proficiency, age, and studies in Austria are among the many criteria used to evaluate applicants. Your chances of getting this visa will rise with the following distribution:

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Educational Qualification

• Higher points are awarded for degrees in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects.
• The utmost precedence is given to a doctorate.
• Candidates with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a field with high demand may still be eligible.

Work Experience

• • Experts with ovExperts with over ten years of expertise receive the best ratings.
  • Additional points are awarded for experience in Austrian shortage occupations.

Language Proficiency

• • Additional points can be earned for proficiency in German (A1 to C2).
  • Additionally, proficiency in English (at least B2) is valued.

Age Limit

• • Those under 35 have a better chance of earning points.
  • Candidates over 40 receive lower scores.

Studies in Austria (Bonus Points)

• • An applicant’s application is strengthened and they gain more points if they have studied in Austria before.

Validity & Conditions

• The duration of the Job Seeker Visa is six months.
• The applicant can apply for the Red-White-Red Card to remain and work lawfully in Austria if they land a job there during this time.
• When the visa expires, the applicant must depart Austria if they are unable to obtain employment.

Eligibility Terms of Austria Red-White-Red Card Visa (2025)

Skilled workers can live and work in Austria for a maximum of two years with the potential of renewal with the Red-White-Red Card, a residency and work permit.

Eligibility Criteria for Red-White-Red Card Visa

The purpose of the Red-White-Red Card Visa is to draw in highly qualified professionals to Austria. Applicants must fit into one of the following categories in order to be eligible:

1. Very Highly Qualified Workers

• Professionals with outstanding training and experience are eligible. This category typically calls for specific knowledge and a high degree of education, such as a PhD.
• Benefit: A quicker route to long-term residency and easier entrance for elite talent.

2. Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations

• Employees in areas with a lack of skilled workers, such as engineering, information technology, healthcare, and others, are eligible.
• Benefit: Experience in these in-demand professions earns extra points.

3. Other Key Workers

• Who is eligible: Employees with crucial skills—such as managers or those with experience in business-critical sectors—that aren’t addressed in the aforementioned categories but are nevertheless essential to Austria’s economy.
• Benefit: More accommodating requirements for candidates whose abilities are essential to the needs of the nation but may not be in high demand.

4. Graduates of Austrian Universities

• International graduates who have studied in Austria are eligible.
• Benefit: Graduates find it easier to find employment in Austria, particularly if they have earned a degree that is in great demand.

5. Self-Employed Key Workers & Start-up Founders

• Those who meet the requirements include entrepreneurs, founders of start-ups, or independent contractors with a business strategy or investment that boosts Austria’s economy and industry expertise.
• Benefit: Austria supports creative companies and independent contractors who boost the country’s economy.

Very Highly Qualified Workers (Points-Based System)

To qualify, applicants must score at least 70 points out of 100, similar to the Job Seeker Visa criteria.

• • PhD or Master’s degree in STEM fields.
  • Extensive work experience (10+ years).
  • Research or scientific achievements.

Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations

• • Every year, Austria releases a Shortage Occupation List.
  • Priority is given to workers in high-demand industries, including IT, engineering, healthcare, and construction.
  • Prior to application, they must obtain an employment offer from an Austrian firm.

Other Key Workers

Non-shortage occupation workers can apply if:

• • They’ve been offered a position in Austria.
  • Their pay is in line with the industry-specific minimum salary requirement.
  • The employer demonstrates that no Austrian or EU worker is qualified for the position.

4# Graduates of Austrian Universities

If they meet the requirements, students who earned their degrees in Austria are eligible to apply for the Red-White-Red Card without requiring a work offer.

Self-Employed Key Workers & Start-up Founders

• • Entrepreneurs need to demonstrate a substantial economic advantage for Austria.
  • They need to have enough investment capital and a strong company plan.

Required Documents for the Red-White-Red Card in 2025

The following paperwork is required in order to apply for the Red-White-Red Card in 2025:

1. Valid Passport

• must be up to date and valid for the whole time you’re visiting Austria.

2. Job Contract (for Employed Workers)

• a signed employment contract outlining your role, pay, and working conditions from an Austrian employer.

Proof of Qualifications and Degrees

• copies of your degrees and diplomas from school. Transcripts, diplomas, and any professional certificates pertinent to the position you’re looking for are included in this.

Evidence of Work Experience

• documents, such as employment records, letters of recommendation, or contracts, attesting to your prior job experience. If you’re applying under the skilled worker or shortage occupation categories, this is very crucial.

Language Proficiency Certificate

• Evidence of proficiency in English (at least B2 level) and/or German (A1 to C2 levels). Generally, certificates like the TOEFL, Goethe, IELTS, or TestDaF are accepted.

Salary Proof

• Proof that your pay satisfies the visa’s minimal income requirements. income stubs, a letter offering a salary, or a contract specifying your income may be examples of this.

Health Insurance Coverage

• Evidence that you have health insurance during your time in Austria. Your private health insurance or your work may offer this.

Validity & Conditions

• Initially, the Red-White-Red Card is valid for two years.
• It can be renewed as a Red-White-Red Plus Card for an additional three years after the first two.
• Applicants may seek permanent residence in Austria after five years of lawful stay.

Differences: Austria Job Seeker Visa VS Red-White-Red Card Visa

Conclusion:

For qualified professionals looking to live and work in Austria, the country’s amended visa regulations for 2025 provide both new chances and difficulties. Knowing the specifics of the Austria Job Seeker Visa and Red-White-Red Card Visa is crucial because of the stricter wage criteria and changes to the point system. You can improve your chances of getting a visa and landing a job in Austria’s expanding labor market by matching your qualifications with these new requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions