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Pathway

Austria Shortage-Occupation Work Residence

Austria Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Austria's Red-White-Red Card shortage-occupation route is for workers with a job offer in an occupation Austria lists as short of workers. It generally requires relevant training or experience, enough points, and a qualifying Austrian job offer.

Type
Skilled-work residence
Job fit
Workers with a qualifying role or strong professional profile
Core requirements
Job offer, qualifications, and pay or points rules
What to know
The job usually has to meet salary and skill rules
Salary requirement
Applicable legal, regulatory, or collective-agreement pay
Job offer required?
Yes

Summary

Austria's Red-White-Red Card for Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations is for a third-country national with completed training in an occupation on the current Austrian shortage list, a binding Austrian job offer in that occupation, and at least 55 points.

Austria publishes both nationwide and regional lists each year. A regional occupation qualifies only when the job is in one of the named federal provinces. The 2026 lists must be used for a 2026 filing; appearing on a 2025 list or on an employer's private “in-demand” list is not enough.

There is no single €3,000 monthly immigration salary for this route. The employer must pay at least the amount required by law, regulation, or the applicable collective agreement and must provide customary overpayment where that is normal in the company. The training must also match the listed occupation.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

The applicant needs a binding job offer and completed training appropriate to the shortage occupation. For many trades, this means training comparable to a multi-year Austrian apprenticeship. Some listed professions require higher education. Special proof rules apply to certain public-transport occupations where job-specific qualifications can only be completed with the Austrian employer.

The points table awards 30 points for completed training in the shortage occupation, points for relevant work experience, language skills, and age, with a required total of 55. Relevant Austrian experience can receive additional weighting. Language certificates must meet the official level, issuer, and recency rules. The online calculator is only an estimate; AMS reviews the documents and score.

The employer must supply the contract or binding offer and employer declaration. The duties, workplace, province, and occupational classification should line up with the exact entry on the current list. For a regional shortage occupation, an otherwise identical job in an unlisted province does not qualify under this category.

Formal recognition is normally required only for a regulated profession, such as many health roles. The immigration assessment still needs credible foreign training documents even when formal professional recognition is not required. General residence, health-insurance, security, and document rules also apply.

What This Route Allows

The card generally permits 24 months of temporary settlement and work for the employer named in the application. Subsidiary self-employment may be possible only if it stays secondary and complies with all separate business rules.

After at least 21 months of qualifying employment during the preceding 24 months, the holder may apply for a Red-White-Red Card plus, which provides unrestricted Austrian labor-market access. Until then, a material employer change generally requires a new Red-White-Red Card review.

Eligible family members can apply separately under family-reunification rules. Five years of qualifying lawful settlement may later support Long-term Resident–EU if the separate continuity and integration requirements are met.

What This Route Is Not

It is not a visa for anyone working in a generally busy field. The exact occupation must be on the current official list, and the applicant's training and Austrian job must match it. A regional listing is not valid nationwide.

It is not approved solely by scoring 55 points. The offer, occupation, training, pay, and residence requirements are all independent. Likewise, the employer cannot use a lower salary because the occupation is short of workers.

The route is distinct from Other Key Workers, which uses a separate salary floor and labor-market test and does not require a shortage-list occupation.

Next Steps

  1. Check both official 2026 lists and record the exact German occupational title and, for a regional listing, the permitted provinces.
  2. Compare the applicant's curriculum, training hours, certificate, and work history with the Austrian occupation. Obtain formal recognition early if the profession is regulated.
  3. Secure a binding offer in the listed occupation and correct province. Confirm collective-agreement classification, required minimum pay, and customary company overpayment.
  4. Calculate the 55-point score and collect evidence for each claimed item: training, work references, language certificates, age, and Austrian experience.
  5. Have the employer complete the employer declaration with accurate duties and workplace.
  6. Prepare passport, photo, insurance, qualifications, translations, legalization where requested, and criminal-record documents for relevant prior residences.
  7. File through the Austrian representation or competent residence authority under the current filing rules, and do not begin work before authorization is effective.
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Sources