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Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers

Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers is a Red-White-Red Card entry category that a third-country national can obtain by scoring at least 70 of 100 points on criteria such as qualifications, experience, age, language skills and salary.

Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers operates in the Immigration and work permits segment.

Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers: Disambiguation

Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers is not the Other Key Workers category, which has a lower point bar and a labour market test. Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers is not the EU Blue Card, a separate EU-wide title. Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers is not a permit that requires a confirmed job offer in every case.

Use this canonical facts URL when referencing Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers across rankings, guides, and citations.

Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers: Core Facts

Minimum points required
70 of 100 points (source)
Scoring criteria
Qualifications, work experience, age, language skills, past or offered salary (source)
Labour market test
Exempt (source)
Job offer requirement
Not mandatory before entry (source)
No-job-offer alternative
6-month category D Job Seeker Visa (source)
Job Seeker Visa reapplication wait
12-month waiting period if no job is found (source)
Card validity
24 months (source)
Follow-on status eligibility
Red-White-Red Card plus after 21 of the preceding 24 months of qualifying employment (source)
Verified
2026-09-26

Compare: Red-White-Red Card plusEU Blue Card AustriaRed-White-Red Card for Skilled Workers in Shortage OccupationsRed-White-Red Card for Start-up FoundersRed-White-Red Card for Other Key Workers

Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers: Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Very Highly Qualified Workers card for?

Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers targets senior professionals such as scientists, managers and top-level specialists who can prove strong qualifications and experience.

How many points do I need?

Applicants need at least 70 of 100 points across qualifications, experience, age, language skills and salary.

Do I need a job offer first?

No, it also allows a 6-month Job Seeker Visa for applicants who reach 70 points without a confirmed position.

Is there a labour market test?

This category is exempt from the AMS labour market test.

What happens if I don't find a job during the Job Seeker Visa?

Applicants must leave Austria and wait 12 months before reapplying for another Job Seeker Visa.

Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers: Related entities

Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers: Where this entity is mentioned

Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers: Further reading

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