Residence permit in Austria: how to become a resident of a European country

• A reliable and win-win investment in one of the most sustainable economies in the world.

• An extremely high standard of living.

• Opportunities for active recreation. Proximity and accessibility of Alpine resorts.

• Austria is among the safest countries in the world.

• Your savings and assets are held in hard currency and reliable banks.

• You are no longer concerned with economic and financial crises.

• Your business operates in a zone of sustainable economic stability.

• Your children are educated at leading universities in Europe.

• The best medical clinics in the EU are available for your parents.

A residence permit in Austria can be both with the right to work and without it. There are categories of residence permits for which it is necessary to separately request a work permit.

A residence permit without the right to work is issued, as a rule, to wealthy applicants and pensioners.

A work residence permit in Austria can be of two types:

1. A “red-white-red card” is issued to highly qualified personnel, representatives of rare professions, citizens holding managerial positions, businessmen, foreign graduates of Austrian universities.

2. An “EU blue card” provides an Austrian residence permit with the right to work for 2 years.

An Austrian “red-white-red plus” card is issued to family members of holders of the red-white-red and blue cards or foreigners who hold an Austrian permanent residence.

A residence permit with the right to work can also be obtained by shift and seasonal workers, the self-employed and people going on a long-term business trip to Austria.

Special residents permits in Austria are issued to:

• students and schoolchildren;

• artists;

• researchers;

• relatives of residents and citizens of Austria — for family reunification;

• volunteers.

34,759 people first received a residence permit in Austria in 2020. In terms of the number of residence permit cards issued, the country ranked 13th in the European Union

Austria provides an opportunity to obtain a residence permit status for persons who are ready to confirm financial independence. Among the conditions are:

Austrian residence permit for financially independent people

• an income of €2,000 per month for each family member;

• a bank account with a deposit of €20,000 for an adult and €10,000 for each child;

• a certificate of no criminal record and a diploma of higher education.

To become an Austrian resident, you need to know the German language at the elementary level. When extending the status, the knowledge of the language will have to be improved.

The number of quotas for this type of residence permit is different in individual federal states of Austria. It should be kept in mind that there are a lot of people who want to get it. The least likely to get into the quota in Vienna, most of all — in the unpopular federal states, such as Lower Austria. It is desirable to have real estate in this area and rental income.

A resident with a residence permit for financially independent persons is not entitled to work in Austria.

The Austrian government provides people who get a job in the country with two types of working residence permit: red-white-red and blue cards. The advantage is that quotas for their receipt are not set. However, the issuance rules are very strict.

In order for a foreign employee to receive a red-white-red card, the director of the company must be a citizen of the European Union. The company itself should provide jobs for Austrians.

In the vast majority of cases, working residence permits are issued and extended for a year. As an exception, you can issue an extension for 1.5‑2 years. But for this you need to demonstrate a high level of integration into Austrian society: participate in volunteer movements, teach children at school and improve your knowledge of the German language.

Vienna is considered one of the most environmentally friendly and comfortable cities for living

The red-white-red card gives the right to reside and engage in independent and non-self-employed skilled work.

To get a residence permit, you need to pass a test according to a system that takes into account many indicators. For example, the applicant’s age, education, length of service and level of German language proficiency.

Highly qualified specialists. If you are highly qualified, you can get a visa for 6 months to look for a job.

Qualification must be confirmed: for this, it is necessary to score at least 70 points on a special scale, which takes into account many parameters from the duration of training to work experience in the relevant specialty.

The minimum income of a highly qualified specialist under an employment contract must be at least €2,551.50 per month before taxes.

Specialists in key positions. For those who have the qualities to hold key leadership positions, there are also cards with the right to work.

The card is issued only if the Austrian Employment Service is unable to provide the company with an employee of the same qualification. In this case, the system with confirmation of qualification also works.

The minimum income of a specialist in a key specialty must be at least:

• €2,835 per month for persons under 30;

• €3,402 per month for persons over 30 years old.

University graduates who receive a job offer with the signing of an employment contract within 6 months receive a red-white-red card.

The card will be issued if the employer is willing to pay at least €2,551.50 per month. The graduate must meet all the criteria for the vacancy. In this case, you do not need to collect points and confirm qualifications.

Entrepreneurs. To obtain it, you need to go through a special commission of the labor department, where the applicant will have to prove the economic benefit of his entrepreneurial activity for a particular federal land.

The blue card is issued to citizens of non-EU countries. It gives the right to carry out non-self- employment activities in most EU countries.

The main conditions for obtaining a blue card:

• the university that issued the diploma to the applicant must be recognized in Austria;

• the applicant must conclude an agreement with a local employer;

• the applicant’s salary must be €66,593 per year before taxes.

Full-time students of Austrian universities are entitled to a student residence permit. In this case, the applicant must know the German language at a basic level and present a document on admission to the university.

Among the advantages of a student residence permit in Austria is the ability to work 20 hours a week.

Since 1985, there has been a special program for obtaining Austrian citizenship in Austria without the procedure for obtaining a standard residence permit and permanent residence. Citizen’s passport Austrian is issued in exchange for large investments in the country’s economy. Prior to obtaining citizenship, the investor receives a special residence permit, which gives a number of advantages to its owner.

But now this program practically does not work, due to the lack of clear criteria for approving applications and the subjective factor. It is possible to make an investment, but not get the desired result.

If you have any questions about the residence permit in Austria, please contact the experts of investment programs Immigrant Invest for advice.