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Pathway

Austria Work Residence for Key Workers

Austria Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

A qualified worker with an eligible Austrian job offer may apply for a Red-White-Red Card under the Other Key Workers category. The job does not need to be on the shortage list. You still need the required salary, points score, and approval after Austria's employment service checks the labor market.

Job offer required?
Yes; the job must pass Austria’s check for available local workers
Pay
At least €3,465 gross a month in 2026, plus special payments
Points
At least 55 points for qualifications, experience, language, and other accepted factors

Summary

Austria's Other Key Worker route is for qualified workers with an Austrian job offer that meets the salary floor and passes Austria's labor-market test. It can cover strong candidates whose role is not on the shortage list.

For 2026, the prospective employer must pay at least €3,465 gross per month, plus the applicable special payments. The applicant must score at least 55 points from qualifications or special skills, work experience, language ability, and age, with bonuses for certain athletes, coaches, or English-speaking workplaces. AMS must also be unable to place an equally qualified registered jobseeker in the position. The card is usually issued for 24 months and ties the holder to the employer and job approved in the application. This is not a general open work permit at the start.

Salary, points, and the labor-market test are separate checks
  1. Confirm the Austrian offer and pay Check guaranteed salary, special payments, and the applicable employment agreement.
  2. Document the points and qualifications Support every claimed point and complete professional recognition if required.
  3. Submit the employer-supported case Prepare the employer declaration and evidence for the AMS labor-market review.

A points score or salary alone does not satisfy all three requirements.

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Eligibility

EEA means the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

The applicant needs a binding offer from an Austrian company and must not be an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen. The offer must meet the current legal minimum salary and all higher pay required by law, regulation, collective agreement, or usual company practice.

The points table awards credit for completed vocational training or special know-how, eligibility for university admission, a tertiary program of at least three years, relevant work experience, German and specified other languages, and age. Claiming 55 points in an online calculator is only a screening result. The filing needs documents for every claimed category, and AMS makes the formal calculation.

The employer declaration must accurately describe the duties, workplace, hours, salary, and employment conditions. AMS then performs the labor-market test (a check for suitable workers already available locally). A strong applicant can still be refused under this category if AMS can place an equally qualified registered worker.

The applicant also needs a valid passport, all-risk health insurance, and compliance with Austria's general residence and public-order rules. Formal recognition is generally necessary only for a regulated profession, although the immigration authority still evaluates foreign degrees and training for points.

What This Route Allows

An approved card permits temporary settlement and employment with the specified Austrian employer, generally for 24 months. Subsidiary self-employment may be possible only if it remains secondary and all separate legal requirements are met.

After qualifying employment for at least 21 months during the previous 24 months, the holder may apply for a Red-White-Red Card plus. That later title permits both employed and self-employed work without being tied to one employer. Changing employers requires a new application and review. Current guidance allows provisional work for the new employer after a 45-day waiting period, which runs only once the required documents are complete.

Eligible family members may apply separately for family-reunification titles, often a Red-White-Red Card plus with labor-market access if the requirements are met.

What This Route Is Not

It is not a shortage-list route and the occupation does not become eligible merely because it is hard to recruit for. It is also not approved solely because the salary exceeds €3,465; points and the labor-market test remain mandatory.

It is not the EU Blue Card. A highly paid graduate role may fit both routes, but the Blue Card has its own degree or ICT-experience test and annual salary threshold. The applicant and employer should compare which legal route matches the facts rather than treating the names as interchangeable.

The initial card is not portable between employers. Interviews, recruiting interest, or an unsigned offer do not satisfy the binding-offer requirement.

Next Steps

  1. Obtain a detailed written offer and confirm the 2026 monthly floor, special payments, collective agreement, and any customary overpayment.
  2. Calculate the score using the official table and identify the evidence for each point. Do not count an unverified degree, informal language ability, or unsupported work period.
  3. Check whether the occupation is regulated and complete recognition where required.
  4. Have the employer prepare the official employer declaration and supporting recruitment information for AMS.
  5. Gather degree or training documents, work references, language certificates, passport, photograph, insurance, and any requested criminal-record or birth, marriage, and other family documents. Certificates used for language points must meet the current issuer and age rules.
  6. File through the responsible Austrian representation or residence authority as permitted. The official guidance permits an application made in person during legal stay to extend that stay while the application is pending; confirm that this applies to your filing.
  7. Wait for approval before starting work, and obtain a new immigration review before changing employer while the card remains tied.

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Sources