The Austrian parliament has passed a law granting Ukrainian refugees unlimited access to the labor market. Find out what conditions need to be met to obtain a residence and work permit in Austria, as well as when you can switch to RWR+

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A law is about to come into force in Austria that provides internally displaced persons from Ukraine with unrestricted access to the Austrian labor market. Here is all the relevant information on how Ukrainian refugees can obtain an RWR+ card in Austria.

New law on employment in Austria

The draft law approved by the Austrian Federal Council amended the current law on the employment of foreigners. The purpose of the amendments is to provide Ukrainian immigrants with unrestricted access to the Austrian labor market. This law allowed Ukrainians to obtain a “red-white-red card plus” (RWR+), which gives them permission to live and work in Austria as self-employed persons or as employees. There are no restrictions on a specific industry, company or location.

The Red-White-Red Card Plus provides the following rights and opportunities

- The right to work in Austria with full access to the labor market;

- the right to reside in Austria as an internally displaced person;

- after 5 years of holding this card, it will be possible to obtain a permanent residence permit in the EU;

- the possibility of family reunification/transportation of family to Austria;

- the right to stay in Austria after the expiration of temporary protection (valid until April 3, 2025);

Please note! This status makes it impossible to receive any social assistance in Austria, but the so-called “blue card” is not taken away from the applicants and continues to be valid for those who already have it.

At the same time, the time spent in Austria with temporary protection status will be counted towards the five-year period for obtaining permanent residence (Daueraufenthalt EU) and the six-year period for obtaining citizenship.

We wrote about where to find housing and work in Austria here.

Conditions for obtaining the RWR+ card

In order to obtain this type of permit, Ukrainian refugees who hold an identity card for displaced persons (blue card) must fulfill a number of requirements:

- Work in Austria for at least 12 months in the last two years;

- Be fully insured and in full employment;

- Have a residence permit for displaced persons (the so-called “blue card”);

- Have a valid foreign passport;

- Have the ability to provide for themselves;

The last point implies an income per person of at least EUR 1,218/month for unmarried persons. For married people, the amount of joint income must be at least EUR 1,921 per month.

If there are children in the family, then you need to have an additional income of about 188 euros per month per child.

Earlier we wrote about different types of insurance for entering and staying in Austria.

Important! When calculating the income for the RWR+ card, any social assistance for the family is not taken into account, but childcare assistance is.

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When will the RWR+ card be valid in Austria?

The bill was adopted by the National Council on June 13, 2024. However, the pro-Russian Austrian Freedom Party did not vote for it, stating that it “wants peace and the return of Ukrainians home.” The Social Democratic Party of Austria also did not support the law, arguing that the requirements for a “red-white-red card plus” were too high. However, the law was finally passed on July 4. And starting from October 1, 2024, Ukrainian refugees will be able to switch from temporary protection to the RWR+ (red-white-red card).

In addition to the above requirements for employment, financial support and insurance, to obtain the new status, Ukrainians will have to have a certificate of passing the Deutsch A1 language exam or a university graduation certificate. They will also need to have a rental agreement.

Currently, the Austrian authorities have launched a multilingual campaign to explain how refugees and migrants can apply for the RWR+ card. The online appointment will be activated from September 2, 2024.

The RWR+ card will be issued for three years if a person has been regularly staying in the country for two years and has completed the module of the integration agreement. Relatives will also be able to use the card. For those who have been in Austria for less than two years, the RWR+ card is issued and valid for one year from the date of issue, with the right to extend.

All the latest information about Austria: entry, stay, study, employment, social security and much more is available here.

According to preliminary forecasts, more than 7 thousand displaced Ukrainians in Austria will be eligible for Rot-Weiß-Rot plus.

To ensure that your stay abroad as a refugee is comfortable, legal and safe, you need to comply with certain rules and legal standards of a particular country. Lawyers of Visit Ukraine portal provide advice on any migration issues: collection and processing of documents when leaving/moving abroad, submission of applications to the relevant authorities, full support of migration processes. Contact us and get full legal assistance from proven specialists.

Just to remind you. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Austria has hosted about a hundred thousand Ukrainian refugees. To this day, the country provides assistance to Ukrainian citizens with accommodation, food, and financial aid. Read what is required to enter Austria, as well as what conditions and benefits are available to Ukrainians in 2024 in our previous article.

Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.

Ihor Usyk is the Head of Legal Department at Visit Ukraine

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