Austria

How the system works

1. Step 1: Decide which points route applies — the two scales are not the same

   The Red-White-Red Card does not have one points table; each category has its own. Very Highly Qualified Workers is scored out of 100 and needs 70 points; Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations is scored out of 90 and needs 55. The weightings and age bands differ: the first awards 20 points for being under 35, while the second awards 15 for being under 30. Self-assessing against the wrong table produces a conclusion that does not apply.

   migration.gv.at/very-highly-qualified-workersmigration.gv.at/skilled-workers-in-shortage-occupations

2. Step 2: Where the points come from on the Very Highly Qualified route

   Special qualifications and skills are worth up to 40 points: a four-year higher education degree scores 20, a MINT-subject degree 30, and a PhD or habilitation 40; senior management salary scores 20 at €50,000–60,000, 25 at €60,000–70,000, and 30 above €70,000; research and innovation activities score 20, and recognized awards 20. Work experience is worth up to 20 points at 1 point per half-year, with 10 points for six months worked in Austria. Language is worth up to 10: German or English at A1 scores 5, at A2 scores 10. Age is worth up to 20: under 35 scores 20, under 40 scores 15, under 45 scores 10. Studies in Austria are worth up to 10: half completed scores 5, fully completed 10.

   migration.gv.at/very-highly-qualified-workers

3. Step 3: Where the points come from on the shortage occupation route

   Qualification is worth up to 30 points: completed vocational education or training in the shortage occupation scores 30. Work experience is worth up to 20 at 1 point per half-year, or 2 points per half-year worked in Austria. Language carries far more weight here than on the other route, up to 25: German scores 5 at A1, 10 at A2 and 15 at B1; English scores 5 at A2 and 10 at B1; a further 5 points apply where English is the predominant language of the company. Age is worth up to 15: under 30 scores 15, under 40 scores 10, under 50 scores 5.

   migration.gv.at/skilled-workers-in-shortage-occupations

4. Step 4: Confirm the job offer and the pay benchmark

   The primary requirement for a Red-White-Red Card is a concrete employment offer. The shortage occupation route requires a binding job offer in Austria where the prospective employer is willing to pay the minimum stipulated by law, regulation or collective agreement — the page states no single minimum salary figure, pointing instead to those statutory and collective standards. The Very Highly Qualified route additionally has a six-month jobseeker visa allowing a stay to seek employment matching the applicant's qualifications.

   migration.gv.at/very-highly-qualified-workersmigration.gv.at/skilled-workers-in-shortage-occupations

Key requirements and figures

Figures change. Each row shows the period it applies to and the source it came from.

What commonly blocks an application

These are frequent reasons a route is closed. Absence of a listed problem is not an eligibility decision.

• Self-assessing against the wrong points table. The two routes differ in maximum (100 versus 90), pass mark (70 versus 55), and age bands.

  migration.gv.at/very-highly-qualified-workersmigration.gv.at/skilled-workers-in-shortage-occupations

• Underestimating language on the shortage occupation route. It is worth up to 25 points there, with German B1 alone scoring 15, which often decides whether 55 is reached.

  migration.gv.at/skilled-workers-in-shortage-occupations

• Having no concrete employment offer. That is the primary requirement for the Red-White-Red Card.

  migration.gv.at/very-highly-qualified-workersmigration.gv.at/skilled-workers-in-shortage-occupations

• Vocational training that does not correspond to the target shortage occupation. The qualification points require training in that occupation.

  migration.gv.at/skilled-workers-in-shortage-occupations

• Treating the points threshold as sufficient on its own. The points sit alongside the job offer and the pay benchmark, which must also be met.

  migration.gv.at/very-highly-qualified-workersmigration.gv.at/skilled-workers-in-shortage-occupations

Reviewed programs

• Austria Red-White-Red Card — Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations — Austria's Red-White-Red Card for Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations needs 55 of 90 points, with language worth up to 25 — German at B1 alone scores 15, which often decides whether the mark is reached.
• Austria Red-White-Red Card — Very Highly Qualified Workers — Austria's Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers needs 70 of 100 points, weighted most heavily toward qualifications and age, with language worth only 10. It also has a six-month jobseeker visa.

Official sources

• Migration to AustriaAustrian Federal Government — migration.gv.at · Reviewed 2026-09-03
• Very Highly Qualified WorkersAustrian Federal Government — migration.gv.at · Reviewed 2026-09-06
• Skilled Workers in Shortage OccupationsAustrian Federal Government — migration.gv.at · Reviewed 2026-09-06