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How Britons can move to Austria to live and work post-Brexit

The days of Britons moving easily to Austria or other EU countries might be over, but that doesn’t mean the door is shut. Here's a look at the options for non-EU nationals to live and work in Austria.

Published: 10 February 2021 09:07 CET
How Britons can move to Austria to live and work post-Brexit
Photo: ODD ANDERSEN / AFP

The UK has left the EU. This means Brits can no longer turn up in Austria to live and work without a visa.

Sure they can visit the country for up to 90 days without a visa, but when it comes to becoming a resident in the country and working, things get a little more complicated.

So how can British people move to Austria in these post-Brexit times? They need to do so like everyone else around the world that isn’t from an EU country. 

The days of easy movement around the bloc for Brits might be over, but that doesn’t mean the door is shut. There are just more bureaucratic hoops to jump through.

Most people will need a work permit

British citizens are now considered as third-country nationals in Austria and have to go through a structured immigration channel.

One of the most common reasons to move to another country is for work and, like most places around the world, skilled workers are in demand in Austria.

First, there are three types of work permit in Austria to be aware of: restricted (for one year), standard (two years) and unrestricted (for five years). What you can get will depend on your situation.

READ MORE: The pros and cons of obtaining Austrian citizenship 

If you plan to stay in Austria for more than six months then you will also need a residence permit to enter the country. You can get this from an Austrian embassy or consulate before you move to Austria.

For those that are still determined to move to Austria regardless of Brexit and the bureaucracy, here are the main immigration pathways. 

The Red-White-Red Card

The Red-White-Red Card is a permit for qualified workers and their families to live and work in Austria. To qualify, applicants need to have enough points based on education, professional experience, age and language skills.

The points system for the Red-White-Red Card is split into several categories, as detailed below.

Very Highly Qualified Workers – if you score 70 points you can get a six-month Job Seeker Visa to enter Austria and find work. If you receive a job offer you can then apply for the Red-White-Red Card.

Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations – if you score 55 points and have a job offer you can apply for a 24-month permit. Professions include engineers, carpenters and nurses.

Start-Up Founder – to be eligible for this category you need 50 points and €50,000 in funds. There are bonus points for being under 35 and having an additional €50,000 to invest.

Graduates – if you graduate from an Austrian university, you can extend a student residence permit for 12 months to find a job or start a business. To stay on a long-term basis, graduates need to earn a minimum of €2,500 per month.

Self-employed key workers – this category is outside of the points system. Instead, you need to invest €100,000 into the Austrian economy and create jobs or introduce new technologies.

Other key workers – to qualify for this category you need 55 points and a minimum salary of €2,775 per month for people under 30, or €3,330 for people over 30.

The EU Blue Card

The EU Blue Card is similar to the Red-White-Red Card, except it doesn’t involve a points system to qualify. 

To be eligible, you need to be educated at university level, have received a job offer in Austria, will earn one and a half times the average salary and have passed the labour market test (proof that there is no one local that can do the job).

READ MORE: Just how good does your German have to be to gain residency and citizenship? 

Additionally, the EU Blue Card gives holders free movement within the EU and permanent residency rights. For Brits searching for the pre-Brexit days, this is as close as it gets.

What other options are there?

Studying is another way to move to Austria. 

Many Brits take this route in countries like Australia and New Zealand after a working holiday visa has expired. The benefit of studying is gaining new skills and the possibility of being able to stay long-term with a job offer after the course has finished.

READ MORE: What you need to know about applying for Austrian citizenship 

Austria has an excellent education system and there are even many degree programmes taught in English. The downside is that British people will now need to apply for a residence permit for study purposes (Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student) and pay international tuition fees.

Then there is a settlement permit for retirees. This involves showing proof of sufficient funds, health insurance, a place to live and some understanding of the German language.

In a nutshell, moving to Austria just got more difficult for British people. But it’s not impossible – as long as you have the right skills, you want to study or you have the right amount of money.

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EU

How would a ‘youth mobility scheme’ between the UK and EU really work?

The EU and the UK could enter into a 'youth mobility' scheme allowing young people to move countries to work, study and live. Here's what we know about the proposal.

Published: 18 April 2024 17:09 CEST
How would a 'youth mobility scheme' between the UK and EU really work?

Across the 27 countries of the EU, people of all ages can move countries to work, study, spend a long visit or chase the possibility of love – and all this is possible thanks to EU freedom of movement.

That freedom no longer extends to the UK. As a result of Brexit, a UK national who wants to move to an EU country, or an EU citizen who wants to move to the UK, will need a visa in order to do so.

However, a new ‘mobility scheme’ could re-create some elements of freedom of movement – if the EU and UK can come to an agreement. The signs of that are not good, with the current UK government rejecting the proposal before it had even been formally offered, but here’s what we know about the proposal.

Who would benefit?

First things first, it’s only for the youngsters, older people will have to continue with the time-consuming and often expensive process of getting a visa for study, work or visiting.

The Commission’s proposal is for a scheme that covers people aged 18 to 30. 

Their reasoning is: “The withdrawal of the UK from the EU has resulted in decreased mobility between the EU and the UK. This situation has particularly affected the opportunities for young people to experience life on the other side of the Channel and to benefit from youth, cultural, educational, research and training exchanges.

“The proposal seeks to address in an innovative way the main barriers to mobility for young people experienced today and create a right for young people to travel from the EU to the UK and vice-versa more easily and for a longer period of time.”

How would it work?

The proposal is to allow extended stays – for young people to be able to spend up to four years in the EU or UK – under a special type of visa or residency permit. It does not, therefore, replicate the paperwork-free travel of the pre-Brexit era.

The Commission states that travel should not be ‘purpose bound’ to allow young people to undertake a variety of activities while they are abroad.

Under the visa system, people must travel to a country for a specific purpose which has been arranged before they leave – ie in order to study they need a student visa which requires proof of enrolment on a course, or if they intend to work they need a working visa which often requires sponsorship from an employer.

The proposal would allow young people to spend their time in a variety of ways – perhaps some time working, a period of study and then some time travelling or just relaxing.

It would also not be subject to national or Bloc-wide quotas.

It seems that some kind of visa or residency permit would still be required – but it would be issued for up to four years and could be used for a variety of activities.

Fees for this should not be “excessive” – and the UK’s health surcharge would not apply to people travelling under this scheme.

Are there conditions?

Other than the age qualification, the proposal is that young people would have to meet other criteria, including having comprehensive health insurance, plus financial criteria to ensure that they will be able to support themselves while abroad.

The visa/residency permit could be rejected on the ground of threats to public policy, public security or public health.

Will this happen soon?

Slow down – all that has happened so far is that the European Commission has made a recommendation to open negotiations.

This now needs to be discussed in the Council of Europe.

If the Council agrees then, and only then, will the EU open negotiations with the UK on the subject.

The scheme could then only become a reality if the EU and UK come to an agreement on the terms of the scheme, and then refine the fine details – reacting the news reports of the proposal, the UK government appears to have already dismissed the idea out of hand, so agreement at present seems unlikely. However, governments can change and so can the political climate.

But basically we’re talking years if it happens at all – and that would require not only a new government in the UK (which seems likely) but a major change in the whole British political atmosphere.

Don’t start packing just yet.

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