The Austrian Parliament has released the agenda for its 14 October plenary sitting, and immigration compliance is front and centre. According to Friday’s parliamentary press bulletin, MPs will vote on a wide-ranging Strafvollzugsnovelle that, among other reforms, would allow courts to order the removal of non-Austrian offenders after they have served half of their sentence—without the prisoner’s consent. The measure is designed to ease chronic overcrowding in Vienna-Simmering and other federal prisons and to reduce security costs linked to high-risk detainees. The same legislative package expands Austria’s toolkit against people-smuggling, human trafficking and “transplant tourism”. A new offence criminalises knowingly using the services of trafficking victims, and organ-trade provisions are tightened to cover facilitators abroad. Companies that second staff across borders will need to check supply-chain partners for compliance, as the bill extends Austrian jurisdiction to crimes committed on aircraft registered in Austria and to certain offences committed by Austrians abroad. Legal experts say the proposed deportation changes could speed up removals by months. At present, deportations typically occur only after two-thirds of a sentence is served or when prisoners agree to voluntary return. The Ministry of Justice argues that earlier removals will save €18 million annually in detention costs and free up space for rehabilitation programmes. Critics from NGOs question whether receiving countries will accept transferees who have not completed their sentence and warn of potential violations of the European Convention on Human Rights if judicial safeguards are rushed. For multinational employers the practical implications are significant. Foreign nationals on temporary assignments who fall foul of Austrian law could face automatic deportation long before post-release probation or appeals are exhausted. Mobility managers should therefore review employee-conduct policies and ensure legal-aid arrangements are in place. Travel-risk consultancies are also advising firms in the logistics and agricultural sectors—where short-term seasonal workers are common—to intensify induction briefings on Austrian labour and criminal law. Assuming the coalition secures the required majority on 14 October, the deportation provisions would enter into force 30 days after publication in the Bundesgesetzblatt. Companies operating in Austria will have a very short window to adapt compliance protocols before the new removal rules start to bite.
