Republic of Austria vs Islamic Republic of Pakistan
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Republic of Austria and Islamic Republic of Pakistan government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- migration.gv.at — Official immigration portal
Federal Ministry of the Interior (Austria) - verified
- Pakistan Online Visa System
Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan - verified
- migration.gv.at - Permanent immigration: Red-White-Red Card
Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) - verified
- Work - General Visa - Pakistan Online Visa System
Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan - verified
Republic of Austria
Austria issues residence permits through the MA 35 (Vienna) and Bezirkshauptmannschaften (other regions). The headline route is the Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte), a points-based work permit for skilled workers, key workers, graduates of Austrian universities, self-employed, and startup founders. The EU Blue Card (Austria) is also available. Settlement after 5 years of continuous legal residence.
- Official portal
- Federal Ministry of the Interior (Austria)
- Languages
- German
- Currency
- Euro
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Pakistan uses the Pakistan Online Visa System for major entry routes, including tourist/visit, business, work, investor, student and family-visit visas. Work cases are employer-led and the official work route points applicants to the Board of Investment for further requirements, while business and investor categories depend heavily on invitation, recommendation or investment evidence.
- Official portal
- Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan
- Languages
- Urdu, English
- Currency
- Pakistani rupee
How Republic of Austria and Islamic Republic of Pakistan differ
| Dimension | Republic of Austria | Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 5 | 6 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 2 | 3 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 4 | 0 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Red-White-Red Card for 24 months -> Red-White-Red Card plus after 21 qualifying months -> citizenship usually from 10 years residence. | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte) | Work - General Visa |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | No fixed published floor | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | Austria publishes a EUR 218 application fee for the Red-White-Red Card, with the same fee shown for Red-White-Red Card plus/family applications. | — |
| Official languages | German | Urdu, English |
| Currency | Euro | Pakistani rupee |
| Primary regulator | ÖRAK | PBC |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Republic of Austria
Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte)
- Salary minimum
- No fixed published floor
- Government fees
- Austria publishes a EUR 218 application fee for the Red-White-Red Card, with the same fee shown for Red-White-Red Card plus/family applications.
- Processing time
- Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Work - General Visa
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Routes unique to Republic of Austria
Routes unique to Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Visa routes side by side
Republic of Austria (5)
Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 24 months; then RWR Card Plus after at least 21 months of qualifying employment during the preceding 24 months.
EU Blue Card (Austria)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 2 years; renewable.
Student Residence Permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung Studierender)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Normally 12 months; renewable while the requirements and required study progress continue to be met.
Family Reunification (Familiennachzug)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 1 year initially; renewable. Spouses get RWR Card Plus (3 years).
Red-White-Red Card — Startup Founder
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 2 years; then RWR Card Plus progression.
Islamic Republic of Pakistan (6)
Tourist/Visit Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Entry visas can be single-entry for up to 3 months; extensions can be multiple-entry up to 6 months or greater than 6 months where eligible.
Business Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · A business visa may be granted for up to 5 years and is valid for multiple entries.
Business Investor Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Short-term entry can be 1 year or 3 years multiple-entry; long-term entry can be 5 years multiple-entry; investor extension can be 2 years multiple-entry.
Work - General Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Entry and extension can be granted for 2 years with multiple entries.
Student Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · The official page says a study visa is granted for 2 years.
Family Visit Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · First-time visa valid up to 5 years with up to 1 year stay on each entry; Pakistan-origin extensions can be up to 2 years, while other extensions are yearly or as relevant rules/policy allow.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Republic of Austria or Islamic Republic of Pakistan?+
Republic of Austria’s Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte) requires a salary of at least No fixed published floor; Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s Work - General Visa is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Republic of Austria or Islamic Republic of Pakistan have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Islamic Republic of Pakistan has more: 3 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 2 for Republic of Austria. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Republic of Austria vs Islamic Republic of Pakistan immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/austria/vs/pakistan. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons