Vienna. The Austrian Court of Auditors (RH) criticized the design of the Red-White-Red Card (RWR Card), which was introduced in 2011 to facilitate the immigration of skilled workers from non-EU countries to Austria. The supervisory body cited the card types – the five RWR cards and the EU Blue Card – as being difficult to distinguish. „The system behind this card is complex and difficult to understand for applicants“ He criticized.
Pointing out that it is very difficult to distinguish different card types from each other, the Court of Accounts criticized, “It is also very difficult for applicants to understand which type of RWR card they should apply for.” At the same time, the Court of Accounts report also mentioned that the system was not flexible.
Finally, Court of Accounts auditors criticized the fact that the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not have any data on the total duration of card procedures during the Court of Accounts audit. In the audit report, „There was no general control over the functioning of the procedures. An assessment by the Court of Accounts based on available data shows that the eight-week legal period was exceeded in more than 40 percent of cases.” It was said.
In the process of system improvement
On the other hand, the Court of Accounts also sees a “simplification potential” in the process of improving the system. „The significant increase in the number of cards issued corresponds to the increasing number of vacancies, i.e. demand in the labor market and economic development“ He also praised the system with his words.
Minister of Labor Martin Kocher from the ÖVP said that the card has been significantly improved in recent years: “Since then, there has been a significant increase in the number of cards issued. In the twelve months before the reform, 5,381 cards were issued; “In the twelve months after the reform, this figure increased to 7,860,” he emphasized. The minister referred to the establishment of an interdepartmental strategy committee for internationally skilled workers. The next meeting of the committee will be held on April 30.
In more kart Vienna‘and
According to the report of the state audit institution, by far the most cards were issued in Vienna in 2022. The average educational level of individuals was higher than that of salaried workers in Austria: 84 percent had at least the equivalent of a school diploma. Two-thirds of the cards were given to men. The three most common nationalities were determined to be Bosnia-Herzegovina, India and Russian Federation.
The RWR card instrument has been amended many times since its entry into force, „mainly with the aim of reducing barriers to skilled migration“. The problem, according to the auditors, was that “there was almost no objective evidence of the practical effects of the legal changes.” ( news)
2024-04-05 15:07:23