"Too complex"

Court of Auditors criticizes the Red-White-Red Card

(Bild: / Klaus Vyhnalek, bmaw.gv.a, Krone KREATIV,)

The Red-White-Red Card (RWR Card) introduced in 2011 was actually intended to make it easier for qualified workers from non-EU countries to immigrate to Austria. But easier said than done - because the Court of Auditors is now criticizing the fact that the system has some serious pitfalls.

"The system behind it is complex and difficult to understand for applicants," criticizes the auditing body. The reason for this is that the card variants - five for the RWR card and the EU Blue Card - are difficult to differentiate.

There were often overlaps in the training and knowledge-related requirements, and the target groups also overlapped. The Court of Auditors sees "potential for simplification" here. However, there is also praise: "The significant increase in the number of cards issued corresponds to the increased number of vacancies, i.e. the demand on the labor market and the economic development."

(Bild: / Klaus Vyhnalek, bmaw.gv.a, Krone KREATIV,)

In figures, this means that a total of 5157 RWR cards and EU Blue Cards were issued in 2022. The number of valid cards in 2022 was 7602, more than 4.5 times as many as in 2012, one year after the introduction of the RWR card, and almost 3.5 times as many as in 2017.

Most cards in Vienna 
The RWR card for skilled workers in shortage occupations and the RWR card for other (dependent) key workers were the most frequently used card variants. By far the highest number of cards were issued in Vienna in 2022.

(Bild: mirsad - stock.adobe.com)

The average level of education of the persons was higher than that of dependent employees in Austria: 84% had an educational qualification at least comparable to the Matura. Two thirds of the cards were issued to men. The three most common nationalities were Bosnia-Herzegovina, India and the Russian Federation, reports the state auditing body.

The RWR card instrument has been amended many times since its introduction, "mainly with the aim of reducing barriers to qualified immigration". The problem with this is that "there was hardly any objective evidence of the effects of the legal changes in practice", according to the auditors.

Card variants difficult to distinguish
Third-country nationals can choose from five variants of the RWR card and the EU Blue Card to take up employment in Austria, unless they fall under a special, generally simplified permit regime (e.g. researchers, diplomats, artists). The Court of Auditors praises this: "The system combines criteria that are fundamentally comprehensible from a labor market policy perspective." However, it also qualifies: "However, the different card variants are difficult to distinguish from one another. It is difficult for applicants to recognize which variant of the RWR card they should apply for."

At the same time, the system is inflexible - with particularly high qualifications in one dimension (e.g. particularly high income), deficits in another dimension can hardly be compensated for. A language level of B2 or higher (advanced language skills) does not lead to a higher rating in any of the variants.

Issuing takes too long
Last but not least, the ACA auditors criticized the fact that the Ministry of the Interior had no data on the overall duration of the card procedures at the time of the ACA audit. "There was no overall controlling of the processing of procedures. An evaluation by the Court of Audit based on the available data indicates that the statutory duration of eight weeks was exceeded in more than 40 percent of cases."