Assessment and recommendations (English/Deutsch)

In July 2011, in light of looming demographic challenges, a major reform of the Austrian legal framework for labour migration took place, with the introduction of the so-called Red-White-Red (RWR)-Card for non-EU/EFTA nationals. The reform built on an initiative of the social partners, which play a unique role in the management of labour migration in Austria. It replaced previous regulations based on numerical limits by a points-based admission scheme, with a view to make the system more transparent and to increase the scale and scope of skilled and highly skilled labour migration to Austria. The new model has three main tiers – a highly skilled tier, a medium-skilled tier for shortage occupations and a labour market tested tier in the medium to highly skilled range with a salary threshold. Points are given for formal qualifications, language, age, and work experience. There is now a six-month job-search visa available for migrants eligible in the highly skilled tier and a facilitated student route. In addition, Austria has implemented the EU Blue Card in parallel with the RWR-Card system in 2011.