EU Blue Card salary requirements increased

IMPACT – MEDIUM

The Austrian government has increased EU Blue Card salary requirements for 2022.

Key Points:

• As of Jan. 1, the minimum annual salary requirement for EU Blue Card holders increased to 66,593 euros (plus special payments such as bonuses, housing and miscellaneous allowances) per year.
• The increased salary requirement marks a 1.5% increase from last year, up from 65,579 EUR.

Additional information: Individuals who hold an EU Blue Card and have worked for at least 21 months in the last 24 months under the EU Blue Card criteria can apply for a Red-White-Red Card plus. More information on the Red-White-Red Card plus is available here.

BAL Analysis: Employers must meet the new salary minimums for both first-time and renewal EU Blue Card applicants. The new salary thresholds will not apply to workers who received their existing EU Blue Card before Jan. 1, 2022. Applications that were filed but not processed before Jan. 1 may be affected by the new salary requirements. Austrian employers should take note of the change and adjust their budgets accordingly.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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