Republic of Austria vs Taiwan (Republic of China)
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 Taiwan (Republic of China) 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
- National Immigration Agency
National Immigration Agency (Taiwan) - verified
- migration.gv.at - Permanent immigration: Red-White-Red Card
Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) - verified
- National Development Council - Taiwan Employment Gold Card
National Development Council (Taiwan) - 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
Taiwan (Republic of China)
Taiwan manages immigration through the National Immigration Agency (NIA) under the Ministry of the Interior, with work authorisation governed by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and entry visas issued by the Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA). The headline routes for skilled foreigners are the Employment Gold Card, which bundles a visa, residence and open work permit for designated specialist fields, and the employer-sponsored work permit plus Alien Resident Certificate (ARC). After five years of continuous residence, many foreign professionals can apply for an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC).
- Official portal
- National Immigration Agency (Taiwan)
- Languages
- Mandarin Chinese
- Currency
- New Taiwan dollar
How Republic of Austria and Taiwan (Republic of China) differ
| Dimension | Republic of Austria | Taiwan (Republic of China) |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 5 | 6 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 2 | 4 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 4 | 5 |
| 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) | Taiwan Employment Gold Card |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | No fixed published floor | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | Austria publishes the AMS/residence-authority workflow for the Red-White-Red Card but does not publish a single central processing-time target for shortage-occupation skilled workers. | — |
| 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 | Mandarin Chinese |
| Currency | Euro | New Taiwan dollar |
| Primary regulator | ÖRAK | TBA |
| 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
- Austria publishes the AMS/residence-authority workflow for the Red-White-Red Card but does not publish a single central processing-time target for shortage-occupation skilled workers.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Taiwan (Republic of China)
Taiwan Employment Gold Card
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- No
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to Republic of Austria
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 · 1 year; renewable for the duration of studies.
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.
Taiwan (Republic of China) (6)
Taiwan Employment Gold Card
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Valid for 1 to 3 years; renewable.
Work Permit for Specialized or Technical Work + ARC
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Work permit and resident visa run with the employment contract (which must have more than six months remaining at application); renewable.
Foreign Special Professional Work Permit
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Employment permit of up to five years for designated foreign professionals; renewable.
Entrepreneur Resident Visa
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial residence of 2 years; extensions of up to 2 years each subject to continuing to meet the qualification directions.
Visitor Visa for Employment-Seeking Purpose
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Short-stay visitor visa for job-seeking; the holder must convert to a work-permit-based resident visa to stay and work.
Permanent Residence (Alien Permanent Resident Certificate, APRC)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent, subject to maintaining the rolling presence requirement; re-entry and the certificate are maintained per NIA rules.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Republic of Austria or Taiwan (Republic of China)?+
Republic of Austria’s Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte) requires a salary of at least No fixed published floor; Taiwan (Republic of China)’s Taiwan Employment Gold Card 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 Taiwan (Republic of China) have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Taiwan (Republic of China) has more: 4 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 Taiwan (Republic of China) immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/austria/vs/taiwan. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons