On 19 July the Federal Chancellery’s Rechtsinformationssystem (RIS) released the latest consolidated version of the Fremdenpolizeigesetz 2005 (Aliens Police Act). The update stitches together the ‘Asyl- und Migrationspakt-Anpassungsgesetz’ that parliament passed in March and several delegated EU acts adopted since May, making the new rules legally operational. Key changes include the creation of a new ‘Visa D-Work Search’ category that allows highly-skilled third-country nationals to enter Austria for up to six months while looking for employment or setting up a start-up; streamlined humanitarian visas; and a fast-track ‘special authorisation’ for C-suite executives of companies deemed strategic to the Austrian economy. At the same time, cancellation and refusal procedures for long-stay visas have been centralised and now require the interior ministry’s approval, a move designed to improve consistency. The law also lays the ground for two big EU-wide IT systems. Articles 11c and 30a introduce the legal hooks for the Entry/Exit System (EES), while several transitional provisions tie Austria’s visa policy to the launch date of ETIAS. Once the Commission sets that date, a six-month countdown will start before carriers must verify ETIAS approvals at boarding and border guards can refuse travellers without one. Corporate mobility managers should note the new penalty regime. Fines for employing a foreigner without the correct entry title have doubled to €10,000 per infringement, and repeat offenders risk being black-listed from sponsoring future visas. The ministry has also gained power to publish anonymised statistics on employer compliance – effectively a naming-and-shaming mechanism. Practically, HR teams need to align their assignment planning timelines: the visa-work-search pathway sounds attractive but processing will be routed through Austrian representations abroad and could still take 8–10 weeks. Companies are advised to start using the interior ministry’s electronic ‘Easy-Access Austria’ portal, which opened in beta on 1 July, to pre-load corporate data and schedule biometric appointments.
