Austria Red-White-Red Card 2026: The Full Points Calculator, From the Official Tables
Austria runs one of Europe's only true points systems — but unlike Canada's single score, the Red-White-Red Card is four different points schemes with different tables, different pass marks, and one route with no points at all. Most articles blur them together. Here they are separated, with the actual numbers from the official migration portal.
Quick answer
The Red-White-Red Card is Austria's skilled-immigration permit: 24 months, tied to one employer, leading to the free-labour-market RWR Card plus after ≥21 months of eligible work. Four points categories: Very Highly Qualified (pass 70/100 — the only one with a Jobseeker Visa), Shortage Occupations (55/90), Other Key Workers (55/90 + €3,465/month gross minimum in 2026), Start-up Founders (50/85 + €30,000 capital, ≥50% equity). Austrian graduates skip points entirely. Fee €218, processing ≈ 8 weeks. All figures from migration.gv.at — sources below.
Category 1: Very Highly Qualified Workers — pass 70/100
The elite track, and the only one you can pursue without a job offer (via the Jobseeker Visa). The official table:
| Criterion | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| 4-year university degree | 20 | 40 |
| — in a MINT/STEM field | 30 | |
| PhD or habilitation | 40 | |
| Senior-management salary at a listed company: €50–60k = 20 · €60–70k = 25 · €70k+ = 30; R&D activity or awards: 20 | 20–30 | |
| Work experience: 1 pt per half-year; +10 if 6 months of it was in Austria | — | 20 |
| Language: German or English A1 = 5, A2 = 10; French/Spanish/Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian B1 = 5 | — | 10 |
| Age: under 35 = 20 · under 40 = 15 · under 45 = 10 | — | 20 |
| Studies in Austria | — | 10 |
Score 70+ and two doors open: apply directly with a job offer, or take the Jobseeker Visa — 6 months in Austria to hunt (fees: €195 visa + €218 application). The hard edge written into the rules: no job in 6 months → leave, and no re-application for 12 months. Treat the Jobseeker Visa as one shot, not a renewable base.
Category 2: Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations — pass 55/90
For completed vocational training in an occupation on Austria's shortage lists (a federal list plus per-province lists, updated by regulation each year — check the current one, source below). The table:
- Qualification (max 30): completed vocational training in the shortage occupation = 30;
- Experience (max 20): 1 pt per half-year — doubled (2 per half-year) for experience in Austria;
- Language (max 25): German A1 = 5 / A2 = 10 / B1 = 15; English A2 = 5 / B1 = 10; French/Spanish/BKS B1 = 5;
- Age (max 15): under 30 = 15 · under 40 = 10 · under 50 = 5;
- Bonus +5 if English is the employer's predominant corporate language.
Notice the design: this is the category where German pays most (up to 15 language points for B1) — a tradesperson with B1 German, a shortage qualification (30) and a few years' experience clears 55 comfortably. It's the most winnable route for non-academics anywhere in Western Europe's permit systems.
Category 3: Other Key Workers — pass 55/90, plus money and a market test
The catch-all for skilled hires outside the shortage lists. Same experience/language/age structure as Category 2 with a different qualification block (vocational training or special skills = 20, university-entrance qualification = 25, 3-year tertiary programme = 30; professional athletes/coaches get +20), plus two extra hurdles: a statutory minimum salary — €3,465 gross/month in 2026 — and a labour-market test (Ersatzkraftverfahren: the AMS checks no equivalent registered jobseeker is available). It's the slowest, most employer-dependent category; if your occupation is anywhere near a shortage list, Category 2 beats it on every axis.
Category 4: Start-up Founders — pass 50/85, plus capital
Requirements before points: an innovative company, €30,000 minimum capital with at least a 50% personal equity share. The table: qualification max 30; experience max 10 (1/half-year); language max 15 (German A2 = 5, B1–B2 = 10, C1–C2 = 15; English B2 = 10); and a bonus block worth 30: +10 for an additional €50,000 capital, +10 for incubator membership or public startup funding, +10 for age ≤35. A funded, incubator-backed 30-year-old founder with a degree passes almost automatically — which is precisely the applicant Austria designed it for.
No points at all: graduates and the Blue Card
- Graduates of Austrian universities: no points system, no labour-market test — a job matching the qualification at the locally customary graduate salary suffices. Combined with post-study job-search rights, studying in Austria is functionally its own immigration route.
- EU Blue Card (Austrian flavour): also points-free — degree + job offer at €55,678+ gross/year (2026). Same €218 fee, same 24-month validity, same RWR-plus progression.
- Self-employed Key Workers: points-free but capital-heavy — €100,000 minimum sustained investment or demonstrated macroeconomic benefit.
Mechanics that decide real applications
- Fee: €218 application (Jobseeker Visa adds €195). Processing: ≈8 weeks for complete files (official FAQ figure).
- Validity and progression: RWR Card = 24 months with the named employer → RWR Card plus (free labour-market access) after ≥21 months of eligible employment within the 24. Family members arrive on the RWR-plus track directly (family guide) — subsistence rates for 2026: €1,308.39 single / €2,064.12 couple / +€201.88 per child.
- Documents: degrees and certificates need diploma evaluation where asked; language levels need recognised certificates (ÖSD, Goethe, telc; TOEFL/IELTS-class for English) not older than one year at filing — expired certificates are the classic avoidable refusal.
- Insurance: entry requires travel cover well above €30,000 including repatriation until Austrian statutory insurance starts.
Key takeaways
- Four tables, four pass marks: 70/100 · 55/90 · 55/90+€3,465/mo · 50/85+€30k. Don't score yourself on the wrong one.
- Shortage-occupation route = best value for vocational workers; B1 German alone is worth 15 of the 55.
- Jobseeker Visa exists only for 70+ scorers, 6 months, one shot, 12-month lockout after.
- Austrian graduates and Blue Card (€55,678) skip points entirely.
- €218 fee · ~8 weeks · 24-month card → RWR plus after 21 eligible months.
FAQ
Which language certificates count, and how fresh?
Recognised examiners only (ÖSD, Goethe-Institut, telc and equivalents for German; established international tests for English), and certificates must generally be no older than one year when you file. German A2 doubles your language points in most categories versus A1 — a few weeks of focused practice (Language Lab's German track) is the cheapest points purchase on the whole table.
Can I switch employers on the RWR Card?
The first 24 months bind you to the employer named in the application; a change means a new assessment. Real mobility arrives with the RWR Card plus.
Is the shortage list national?
Both: a federal Austria-wide list plus province-specific lists set annually by regulation — an occupation missing nationally may be listed in Upper Austria or Styria. Always check the current year's regulation (linked below).
RWR Card vs EU Blue Card — which should a developer take?
With a degree and an offer at €55,678+, the Blue Card is simpler (no points file) and carries EU-wide advantages. Below that salary, or without a degree, the RWR categories are the path — IT roles are perennial shortage-list residents.
Sources (official only)
- Very Highly Qualified table + Jobseeker Visa rules: migration.gv.at — very highly qualified workers
- Shortage-occupation table + current lists: migration.gv.at — shortage occupations
- Other Key Workers (€3,465/month, labour-market test): migration.gv.at — other key workers
- Start-up Founders (€30,000/50% + bonus block): migration.gv.at — start-up founders
- Graduates (no points) and EU Blue Card €55,678: migration.gv.at — graduates, — EU Blue Card
- Fees, processing, subsistence rates: migration.gv.at official FAQ; underlying statute: Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz (NAG), RIS (Federal Legal Information System)
Figures verified against migration.gv.at and the NAG as of 22 July 2026. Points tables change by regulation — the linked official pages are the authority. Information, not legal advice.