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- Worker rights and responsibilities
- Moving to Austria
- Working in Austria
The Red-White-Red – Card Plus for Displaced Persons from Ukraine
21. August 2024On 1 October 2024, the new legal regulations for displaced persons from Ukraine who have already found access to the labour market will come into force and enable them to apply for a Red-White-Red Card Plus (Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte Plus).In this way, displaced persons from Ukraine will have the possibility to remain in Austria in the long term.
How can a displaced person from Ukraine gain access to the Austrian labour market?
You can find our blog post for displaced persons from Ukraine on entering and finding employment in Austria here.
What rights do you have with a Red-White-Red – Card Plus?
The Red-White-Red – Card Plus is a residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) for third-country nationals aiming to facilitate the long-term stay of skilled workers and their families in Austria. Now this is also available to displaced persons from Ukraine. Among other things, the Red-White-Red – Card Plus offers unrestricted access to the Austrian labour market. This means that you can work both as a salaried employee or as a self-employed person, and you are not bound to a specific employer. Generally speaking, the validity of the Red-White-Red – Card Plus is limited (to one year or three years). You can apply for an extension of it within the three months before the current permit expires. If your passport is not valid for this long, the Red-White-Red Card Plus will be issued for the period of validity of your passport.
Note:
If you fulfil Module 1 of the Integration Agreement (i.e. present an Integration Certificate A2) and have already lived in Austria for two years with an ID card for displaced persons, you can obtain a Red-White-Red Card Plus with a validity period of three years. However, if you do not fulfil these requirements, the Red-White-Red – Card Plus will only be issued for a period of one year. After the first extension, you will once again receive a Red-White-Red – Card Plus which is valid for one year. If you have then resided in Austria for two years and have fulfilled Module 1 of the Integration Agreement, you will receive a Red-White-Red – Card Plus with a validity period of three years after the second extension.
Please note that you are required to fulfil Module 1 of the Integration Agreement within two years (inasmuch as you did not already fulfil this requirement beforehand or present a substitute; see below). The period of time for fulfilling Module 1 of the Integration Agreement begins when your first Red-White-Red – Card Plus has been issued (collected by you).
Requirements for a Red-White-Red – Card Plus for Displaced Persons from Ukraine
- First of all, you must have already gained access to the Austrian labour market. This means, that you are already in possession of an ID card for displaced persons in Austria (Ausweis für Vertriebene; commonly known as the “Blue Card” (Blaue Karte). However, this should not be mistaken with the EU Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU).
- Since the right of residence under the Regulation on Displaced Persons (Vertriebenenverordnung) exists by law and will be extended, no current ID card for displaced persons needs to be presented. In such cases, however, an Austrian ID card for displaced persons (which may no longer be valid) must be provided.
Please note that if you receive a Red-White-Red – Card Plus, this has no effect on the right of residence for displaced persons as stipulated in the Regulation on Displaced Persons (which is currently valid until 4 March 2025). In other means, this means that you have two rights of residence at the same time. For this reason, the Immigration Authority (Aufenthaltsbehörde) will not confiscate the ID card for displaced persons. If, in fact, the currently valid Regulation on Displaced Persons is extended once again, i.e., until 4 March 2026, you will automatically receive a new ID card for displaced persons.
- Since the right of residence under the Regulation on Displaced Persons (Vertriebenenverordnung) exists by law and will be extended, no current ID card for displaced persons needs to be presented. In such cases, however, an Austrian ID card for displaced persons (which may no longer be valid) must be provided.
- The status of being recognised as a displaced person must exist at the time the application for the Red-White-Red – Card Plus is submitted, but not during the entire period of gainful employment.
For example, periods in which you have been gainfully employed can also be taken into account with another residence permit e.g., a Residence Permit - Student (Aufenthaltsbewilligung Student). - Furthermore, in the last 24 months before submitting the application for the Red-White-Red – Card Plus, it is required that you have worked for at least 12 months and have been fully insured:
- Your employment must have been for a total of 12 months. However, this does not mean it must have been continuous employment for one 12-month period. In other words, your periods of employment are added together as long as the sum total is 12 months and took place over the last 24 months.
- “Fully insured” means that you are registered with the Austrian health insurance fund due to your employment (or you registered yourself) and have health, accident and pension insurance in accordance with the General Social Security Act (ASVG) or the Commercial Social Security Act (GSVG).
However, periods of marginal employment or employment without being registered with the health insurance fund cannot be taken into account.
Note:
Only since 21 April 2023 displaced persons from Ukraine no longer needed any additional work permit (Beschäftigungsbewilligung). For this reason, any periods of employment before 21 April 2023 must be confirmed by a valid work permit for this time in order to be included in the required 12 months.
- Furthermore, you are also required to supply proof of having German language skills at an A1 level or an A2 Integration Certificate (Module 1 of the Integration Agreement) or a substitute (see below).
- Please note that the general requirements for receiving Austrian residence permits must also be fulfilled. In particular, this means providing proof of the following: Sufficient means of subsistence, health insurance, long-term accommodation in Austria, and proof that you are not a threat to public safety and order. More information on this is available here.
Please also note that a change to the status of having a Red-White-Red – Card Plus is a voluntary decision. If you do not fulfil the requirements for obtaining a Red-White-Red – Card Plus or do not want to change your status, you can continue to keep your current status as a displaced person and work in Austria without a work permit. This is due to the fact that the exemption for displaced persons continues to be valid (for the time being) in accordance with the Regulation on Displaced Persons.
This is how you apply for the Red-White-Red – Card Plus
Applications for the issuance of a Red-White-Red Card Plus can be submitted from 1 October 2024.You must submit your application for the Red-White-Red – Card Plus personally at the competent Immigration Authority. This depends on where you live. Appointments for applications can be booked in Vienna from 2 September 2024.
These are the documents you require so that you can receive a Red-White-Red – Card Plus:
- Application form
- Currently valid or expired ID card for displaced persons
- Passport
- Passport photo fulfilling EU criteria (not older than 6 months)
- Only for applications by children: Birth Certificate
- Proof of accommodation in Austria (e.g., residence registration confirmation – Meldebestätigung; rental agreement, proof of last three rental payments, etc.)
- Proof of health insurance coverage in Austria (copy of the e-card etc.)
- Proof of sufficient financial means (last three salary slips, etc.)
- A1 German Certificate OR an A2 Integration Certificate (Module 1 of the Integration Agreement) or a substitute.
The German certificate must not be older than one year when it is submitted. The A2 Integration Certificate must not be older than two years. However, Austrian school leaving certificates or university diplomas may be older than two years.
German certificates from the following institutions are accepted: ÖSD, Goethe-Institute, TELC, Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF).
You can present a proof of general university entrance qualification or completed a vocational secondary school or completed a university degree at a recognized university abroad, instead of the A1 German Certificate. It is important that the degree was awarded by a recognized educational institution and that the diploma or proof of general university entrance qualification or the vocational secondary school leaving certificate was issued in German or English or is translated by a court-certified translator. This certificate is valid both as a substitute for the German Certificate A1 and/or for the A2 Integration Certificate (Module 1 of the Integration Agreement).
Note:
You are not required to show proof of having been employed for at least 12 months. The review focusing on whether you fulfil this requirement is carried out by the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) directly together with the responsible health insurance fund, namely the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse – ÖGK) or the Social Insurance Institute for the Self-Employed (Sozialversicherung der Selbständigen – SVS).
- Many residence authorities require a so-called excerpt from the Austrian Credit Protection Association (“KSV Auszug”) when renewing residence permits. This excerpt is an official document that shows whether you have taken out loans in Austria. If you are married, you always have to present your own excerpt and that of your partner. You can easily order this excerpt from the Austrian Credit Protection Association for authorities online.
- Fees: € 160
Note:
If you receive your Red-White-Red Card Plus, you can apply for the Long-Term Resident EU permit when you renew your residence title after five years of uninterrupted residence in Austria, provided you also fulfil Module 2 of the Integration Agreement. The times in which you reside in Austria due to your status as a displaced person immediately prior to receiving your Red-White-Red – Card Plus are also considered as times of residence. For this reason, they can also be taken into account.
Do you have any other questions which we could not answer in this blog post?
Here you will find FAQ compiled by the Federal Ministry of the Interior on the issuance of a Red-White-Red – Card Plus for displaced persons from Ukraine.
You are also welcome to contact us directly.
