Austria - My Country

03/11/2021

30/10/2021

What to Know About Diwali, and How It's Celebrated.

Festivities include sharing sweets, lighting sparklers, and creating rangolis.

Every year in October or November, millions of Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains all across the world celebrate Diwali, a five-day festival that marks one of the biggest and most important holidays of the year in India. The religious celebration, which is also referred to as the Festival of Lights, is an auspicious occasion that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and hope over despair.
During this time, Sri Maha Lakshmi—the goddess of wealth, abundance, and well-being—is the main deity worshipped, so across India, many people light lamps and candles (known as diyas) to entice Lakshmi to visit their homes. Additionally, many Hindus will perform offering rituals called pujas, or poojas, to pray to the goddess.
While some of the Diwali festivities take place in large community gatherings (for example, families will dress in new clothes and go to the Temple for worship services), many of traditions and celebrations take place at home. In addition to lighting lamps, "People visit with neighbors, relatives, and friends, bringing platters of sweets and other foods. The night sky glitters and rumbles from firecrackers. It is a time of prayer, fellowship, and feasting."
While the dates vary annually based on the Hindu lunar calendar, Diwali usually occurs in October or November. This year, the biggest day of festivities (Lakshmi Puja) will take place on November 4, 2021. So before you send your friends and neighbors "Happy Diwali" wishes, learn about the five-day celebration, including the meaning behind the lights, the sweets, and rituals that make Diwali such a joyous occasion.
Diwali is a 5-day festival, but the main day of celebration is day 3—also known as Lakshmi Puja.
The five days of Diwali are as follows:
1. Dhanteras: On the first day of Diwali, people will perform rituals called puja or pooja, place tea lights around the balconies or entryways of their homes, and purchase kitchen utensils, which are believed to bring good fortune.
2. Narak Chaturdashi: Different regions celebrate this day in various ways, but many people will spend time at home and exchange sweets with friends or family. They may also decorate the floors of their home with rangolis—intricate patterns made from colored powder, rice, and flowers.
3. Lakshmi Puja: The main celebration is believed to be the most auspicious day to worship the goddess Lakshmi. Families will dress up and gather for a prayer to honor her, which is usually followed by a delicious feast, spectacular fireworks displays, and more festivities.
4. Govardhan Puja: This day is associated with Lord Krishna and the Gujarati New Year. A mountain of food offerings are prepared for Puja.
5. Bhaiya Dooj: The last day is dedicated to celebrating the sibling bond. Traditionally, brothers will visit and bring gifts to their sisters, who honor them with special rituals and sweets.
Although the exact date of Lakshmi Puja changes every year, it is always held on the night of the new moon preceding the Hindu month of Kartika, according to Shipman, and on this day, Hindus will dress in new clothes and host worship services to Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha. This puja often involves preparing a clean and sacred space, offering prayers to invoke the deity, plus meditative prayers, offerings like sweets, songs, and more.
"We just did an offering to Lakshmi," explained the star of the Hulu series Taste the Nation. "We did all the things, we did honey, milk, water, turmeric, kumkum. We did this sweet with cinnamon, sugar, banana, and milk. We made all these offerings. We had all the children to do one thing, and then we all threw flowers."
The holiday's celebrations involve a lot of lights—including tea lights, sparklers, and even fireworks.
The presence of lights in many different forms is crucial to celebrating this five-day festival. "Diwali derives its name from the clay oil lamp called a diya. Diyas are hand-crafted little cups with flattened rims painted in bright colors and filled with oil. A cotton wick is placed half in the oil and half on a small shelf on the rim of the diya," explains Shipman, who notes that in modern times, many people now use tea lights instead.
"Across India, families place rows of oil lamps along the foundations, entry paths and balconies of their dwellings," Shipman continues. "And that gives forth another name for the celebration: Deepavali. Deep, another name for the oil lamp, and avali which means 'rows or clusters of lamps.'" These rows of diyas (or tea lights) are intended to dispel the darkness, fear, and ignorance, as well as entice Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and well-being into the home.
In addition to these lights and decorations, on Lakshmi Puja day, people will set off sparklers and fireworks to celebrate. (Though, in recent years, these activities have been scaled back due to concerns about pollution and air quality.) But it's not just all for show. According to Shipman, "the firecrackers symbolize a way to let things go," and to help release negative emotions.
Other Diwali traditions include dressing up, creating rangolis, and sharing sweets.
According to Shipman, many families will dress up in new clothes on the main day of Diwali before hosting religious worship rituals or going to temple. In addition to looking sharp, sharing delicious desserts with friends and family is important. "Sweets are very, very important in our Diwali celebrations," notes Shipman, who says she gets treats like mysore pak, a crumbly chickpea flour based sweet, and barfi from the Indian grocery store to share with her students at Yale. "The sweets signify forgetting any bitterness between us and letting bygones be bygones."
Visual decorations like rangolis (an art form using colored sand, flowers, or other materials) are also popular ways to celebrate Diwali. According to Shipman these designs are often placed near the entrance of the family home and contain "motifs favored by Lakshmi, including lotuses, elephants, conches, om, and footprints.

07/04/2021

Austria prepares to reopen public life in May

Austria is preparing to reopen up many sectors of public life in May as it emerges from the worst of the pandemic.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced on Tuesday the establishment of a corresponding commission consisting of representatives of the federal government, the provinces and the municipalities.

It is also important to prepare the opening steps carefully and in good time, he said, pointing out that the vaccination progress expected for the over-65s in April will probably result in a massive relief of the country's hospitals.

Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler spoke of the "last hard weeks" that still had to be overcome.

At the same time, the lockdown in the three eastern federal provinces - Vienna, Burgenland and Lower Austria - was extended by one week until April 18 because of the high occupancy of beds in intensive care units.

"We are experiencing an expectable and also tense situation," Kurz said about the Austria-wide seven-day incidence rate of about 235 new infections per 100 000 inhabitants in one week.

However, the situation varies greatly in Austria, he said. "We see the regionally coordinated approach as a model of success," the chancellor said.

He said that the cultural sector, gastronomy, tourism and sports should benefit from the hoped-for opening steps.

Kurz, who had recently criticized the distribution of vaccines in the EU, was currently satisfied with the progress of the vaccination campaign in Austria.

Of the 5 million citizens who are eligible for vaccinations and are willing to receive them, one in four is now better protected by a vaccine. He expects a massive turnaround as soon as the 50-year-olds are also vaccinated. That is planned for May.

05/02/2021

Austria Tightens COVID-19 Quarantine Requirements, Extends Border Controls With Czechia & Slovakia.

Austria’s government has decided to impose stricter quarantine and entry rules in order to halt the rapid spread of new contagious variants of the Coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the country’s authorities also have announced that they have prolonged border controls with Czechia and Slovakia, due to the current pandemic situation.

Persons entering Austria’s territory will be required to go through compulsory quarantine rules through ten days,

Up to this point, arrivals were eligible to leave quarantine after five days, if they presented a negative result of the Coronavirus test.

Persons wishing to enter Austria will be required to present a negative result of the PCR test or antigen test when entering their country. In addition to that, they must also fill the online form.

Cross-border commuters are exempted from the quarantine rules; however, they must register with the authorities and show a negative result of the PCR test, once a week. Cross-border commuters previously were not required to register when entering Austria.

In December, authorities in Austria announced that they would tighten their imposed restriction to protect their citizens from the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

A total of 418,283 persons have tested positive for the COVID-19 in Austria, and 7,902 persons have died.

Stricter Border Controls for Citizens of Czechia & Slovakia
Even though authorities in Austria have extended their border controls with Czechia, the latter does not apply the same measures for citizens coming from Austria.

Last month, Czechia’s government moved Austria to the orange COVID-19 list, permitting the citizens of Austria to travel to Czechia without being subject to restrictions.

Over 1,013,350 persons have contracted the Coronavirus pandemic in the Czech Republic, and 16,826 persons have died. The country faces a total of 94,519 active cases.

Last month, Austria’s authorities announced that they would close three border crossing points with Slovakia, from January 14, amid the rapid spread of a new variant of the COVID-19.

In Slovakia, health authorities have registered more than 254,820 cases of COVID-19 infections, and 4,889 persons have died.

Czechia and Slovakia are not the only countries in which the Austrian government prolonged border controls. Previously, the Austrian Ministry of Interior announced that its internal border controls with Slovenia and Hungary would be extended until May 2021, after estimating the pandemic situation.

29/01/2021

Dozens of smuggled chameleons found in suitcase in Austria.

Dozens of protected chameleons are being nursed back to health at an Austrian zoo after they were discovered in a suitcase at Vienna airport.

The animals were spotted by security after an X-Ray of the suitcase appeared suspicious. Some 74 chameleons were found hidden in socks and boxes.

They would sell for about 37,000 euros (£32,850; $44,970) on the black market, officials said.

A 56-year-old man who had travelled from Tanzania was later arrested.

The man, who has not been identified by police, could face a fine of up to 6,000 euros, the finance ministry said.

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"[Chameleons] can camouflage themselves well... but they ultimately did not outsmart the X-Ray machine," the ministry said in a statement.

The animals were immediately transported to Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo, where they were examined by specialists.

Three of the chameleons did not survive the journey. They range in age from one week old, to adult specimens.

"According to the zoo's experts, they come from the Usambara Mountains, a currently very rainy and cool region in Tanzania," the finance ministry said.

The surviving chameleons are now being cared for at Schönbrunn Zoo.

22/01/2021

Austria introduces measures to fight rising anti-Semitism.

To combat rising anti-Semitism, the Austrian government has introduced measures to educate the country about Judaism, protect synagogues, and impose harsher punishments for hate crimes.

Karoline Edstadler, Austria's minister for the European Union, said the government is working to combat anti-Semitism of all forms, whether it is online in a message board comment or announced during a public protest.

In 2019, there were 550 recorded anti-Semitic incidents in Austria, Edstadler said, and "that is twice as much as five years ago."

Oskar Deutsch is president of Vienna's Jewish community, and he told The Associated Press when there is discrimination, "Jews are always the first one who are affected." He said it's up to everyone in Austria, not just Jewish people, to fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of hate.

With the help of Slater, Screech, and Kelly Kapowski, the Lincoln Project has found a way to turn nine seconds of a Saved by the Bell episode into a roast of multiple Republican lawmakers.

Quick '90s TV history lesson: In the classic Saved by the Bell episode "There's No Hope with Dope," teen idol Johnny Dakota came to Bayside High to film an anti-drug PSA.

The gang was so excited to film it with him, but once they found out Johnny was a secret stoner, they dropped him like a ton of Zack Morris' 10-pound brick phones. They ended up doing the PSA with NBC President Brandon Tartikoff, warning kids about the dangers of drugs.

Now, that PSA has been repurposed by the Lincoln Project for a mashup that might make Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) wish they could disappear like Tori did at the end of Season 4. Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia

21/01/2021

A Fire Destroyed More Than 200 Classic Bikes at an Austrian Motorcycle Museum.

One of the Europe’s most well-known and interesting collections of motorcycles was destroyed earlier this week after the museum that houses it went up in flames.

On Monday, the Top Mountain Crosspoint Museum located in Hochgurgl, Austria, burned down during an early morning fire, reports The Drive.

Although not everything was lost in the blaze, most of the of the institution’s multi-million-dollar collection—which included more than 200 motorcycles and a dozen classic cars and vans—was left in ruins.

At around 4:30 am on Monday morning, two staff members on the premises were awakened by the fire alarm, according to Fire World. Their attempts to extinguish the flames were unsuccessful, at which point they called the local fire department.

By the time firefighters arrived, the ceiling had caught fire and within two hours the entire wooden structure was ablaze. It would eventually take over 60 firefighters, using water cannons and snow blowers, to finally put the fire out.

Thankfully, no one was reported hurt as a result of the blaze. The museum’s collection, however, did not fare as well. The the total estimate has yet to be assessed, much of the collection is believed to have been destroyed. There are even reports that not a single vehicle survived, though those have yet to be confirmed.

Built at 7,135 feet, near the Austrian-Italian border in the alps, the Top Mountain Crosspoint Museum had the distinction of being the continent’s highest museum since opening its doors in 2016. Its 32,000-square-feet of floor space showcased some 230 motorcycles made by over 100 brands.

Among these were standouts like the 1926 Indian Scout 600 Solo, the 1968 Aermacchi Racer and the museum’s January’s Bike of the Month, the 1928 Zündapp Z 200. Complementing these bikes were a number of noteworthy cars and vans, like a vintage Aston Martin DB5 and Alfa Romeo 8C race car.

Top Mountain Crosspoint Museum had been closed since November 3 of last year in accordance with Austria’s Covid-19 restrictions. It had been tentatively scheduled to reopen on January 24.

19/01/2021

Austria: Kurz blames 'British virus' for lockdown extension.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has held the “British virus” - the mutation of the coronavirus first detected in the UK - responsible for Austria’s extended coronavirus lockdown.

Kurz said from the Chancellery on Sunday when announcing a two-week extension to Austria’s lockdown that “all plans had to be thrown overboard” due to the arrival of the “significantly more contagious” mutation.

The mutation of the virus, which was first detected in the UK in 2020, is said to be between 40 and 70 percent more infectious than known variants.

Austria on Sunday decided to extend its coronavirus lockdown until February 7th, while some measures were tightened.

The lockdown was set to end on January 25th, but is now extended a further two weeks. The minimum distance has been extended from one to two metres, while FFP2 masks are now required in public transport and retail.

Kurz said the goal of the lockdown extension was to reduce the daily infection rate to under 700, although he expressed scepticism about whether that was possible.

“We don’t know if this (reducing to 700) is even feasible,” Kurz said.

18/01/2021

Austria Extends Lockdown to Feb. 7 as Virus Mutation Spreads.

Austria will keep its current lockdown in place until Feb. 7, shut restaurants, cafes and hotels for at least all of February and tighten mask and distancing requirements as more infectious coronavirus mutations accelerate the spread of the disease.

The setback for the Alpine country that had planned to lift most measures on Jan. 25 comes as the B117 mutation is suspected to have reached locations including Vienna. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the country will now make the more effective FFP2 masks mandatory on public transport and in supermarkets and pharmacies -- the only stores still open -- and increase the required distance in public places to 2 meters.

The government aims for a seven-day incidence of 50 new cases per 100,000, down from 131 yesterday, to be able to lift the lockdown and reopen schools and stores on Feb. 8, Kurz said. There will be a review in mid-February to see if gastronomy and hotels can resume in March, he said.

Austria entered its current lockdown after Christmas but it’s failed to bring down infections significantly after the holidays.

16/01/2021

Austria Closes Three Border Crossings With Slovakia, Requires Registration of All Arrivals.

Austria’s government has announced that three border crossing points with their neighbouring country- Slovakia will be temporarily closed from January 14, due to the Coronavirus pandemic’s rapid upsurge.

According to Slovakia’s Ministry of Interior statement, three of the following border crossing points will temporarily suspend their operations, until further notice:

Angern an der March – Záhorská Ves – road/company
Schloss Hof – Devínska Nová Ves – Cyklomost Slobody
Hainburg an der Donau – Devín – river border crossing on the Danube
“Due to the current unfavourable development of the pandemic situation of COVID-19 in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Austria tightened controls at its border crossings from January 9 2021. It is only possible to cross the border at official border crossings,” the statement of Slovakia’s Ministry of Interior reads.

In addition, starting from January 15, every person, including citizens and residents of Austria, will be required to register online, before crossing the country’s border, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

However, there will be some exceptions regarding Austria’s latest decision. Commuters, transit and persons wishing to enter the country for family or special reasons will not need to fill out a form when entering.

The existing ten-days mandatory quarantine rule will continue to remain in place and will not be changed, even though a test can be taken after five days.

Every person who will be obliged to fill a form upon their arrival in Austria will be required to give detailed information such as their date of birth, residential address, email address, and the date of entry and likely date of departure. They must also provide information regarding the countries they have been in during the past ten days.

In case that the address at which persons will be self-isolated differs from their usual residential address, persons will not need to provide this information.

All the data provided by persons who fill a form is kept by authorities in Austria for 28 days and then deleted.

Austria’s government imposed the second lockdown in the country, on November 3, as part of the country’s efforts to stop the further spread of the virus.

The lockdown was set to last until the end of November, while the country’s authorities clarified who can enter Austria amid the second imposed lockdown.

However, the lockdown’s date has been extended until January 25.

Still, the Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober stressed that the COVID-19 lockdown might continue to be prolonged due to the virus’s new variant, identified in some other countries.

He also asserted that Austria was now entering the “most difficult phase of the pandemic.”

14/01/2021

Sony begins testing its electric vehicle on public roads in Austria.

Sony's electric vehicle Vision-S has been put on public roads for testing, the Japanese tech giant announced at an event. Sony said that testing for the prototype vehicle began last month in Austria, as the company now looks to improve its safety.

The development of the prototype vehicle has reached 'the next stage' and Sony plans on carrying out tests in other regions as well, reported CNBC.

Vision-S, a four-seater car, is powered by two 200 kilowatt motors — located at its front and rear. It weighs 5,180 pounds or 2,350 kilograms. The vehicle uses 40 sensors to monitor safety and undertake a range of tasks such as autonomous parking.

Although only a prototype vehicle, Sony has partnered with some significant players including vehicle manufacturer Magna Steyr. In a video published by Sony on January 11, Frank Klein, the president of Magna Steyr, described the Vision-S as “just the starting point of our joint cooperation", reported CNBC.

Given that Sony is not very well known for making cars, it will be interesting to see how plans for the Vision-S pan out in the future. Especially at a time when market leader Elon Musk's Tesla delivered 4,99,550 vehicles in 2020.

13/01/2021

Austria expels alleged Turkish spy accused of assassination plots.

VIENNA: AN Italian man of Turkish origin who claimed to have been tasked with killing public figures in Austria has been expelled from the country, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Feyyaz Ozturk, 53, turned himself in to the Austrian intelligence services last year.

According to former MP Berivan Aslan who is active on Kurdish issues, Ozturk had been charged with assassinating her and two others who had expressed views critical of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“The authorities considered him to be an imminent danger to public security and he was taken to the Italian border before Christmas,” Ozturk’s lawyer Veronika Ujvarosi told AFP.

Prosecutors confirmed that they had opened an investigation against Ozturk in September and subsequently charged him with conducting “military espionage on behalf of a foreign state.”

He risks up to two years in jail if convicted.

Ozturk’s trial is scheduled for February 4, Vienna’s criminal court confirmed Tuesday.

According to local press reports, Ozturk had admitted to investigators that he gave false testimony to a Turkish court in a case which ended in the conviction of an employee at the US consulate in Istanbul last June on terror charges.

As Ozturk could no longer be held in pre-trial detention, authorities decided to expel him rather than allow him to remain on Austrian soil, Ujvarosi said.

“My client is well and he would like to return to Austria,” she said, adding that she had asked for a temporary lifting of his ban from
Austria so that he can attend his trial.

Aslan told AFP this week that she was still under police protection,
first extended to her when the plot allegations came to light last year.

Turkish authorities have vehemently denied any connection to Ozturk.

A neutral country which plays host to a wide range of international organizations, Austria has a reputation as a center of espionage.
However, allegations of plots such as that involving Ozturk have been rare.

11/01/2021

Austria Provides Medical Treatment for Kosovar Patients.

An impactful gas explosion in Kosovo left more than 40 people

injured, several of them needing urgent intensive medical

treatment. After the Kosovar government approached the Austrian

Foreign Ministry, Chancellor Kurz and Foreign Minister

Schallenberg reacted immediately and promised to help.

After a serious gas explosion in the Kosovar town of Ferizaj on

January 5, 2021, injuring more than 40 people, the Kosovar Foreign

Ministry approached the Austrian Foreign Ministry with an urgent

request for assistance and for taking over twAfter a serious gas

explosion in the Kosovar town of Ferizaj on January 5, 2021,

injuring more than 40 people, the Kosovar Foreign Ministry

approached the Austrian Foreign Ministry with an urgent request

for assistance and for taking over two patients.

07/01/2021

What’s new in Austrian employment law in 2021?

By Birgit Vogt-Majarek Partner - Austria Schima Mayer Starlinger Hasema Hadzisalihovic

Postponed alignment of notice periods of white-collar and blue-collar workers

The Austrian government stipulated that the agreed harmonisation of notice periods and terms between white-collar and blue-collar workers will be implemented as of 1 July 2021 instead of 1 January 2021 as initially scheduled.

Transfers to the new collective bargaining agreement salary system

In principle, the transfer to the new salary system for white-collar workers and apprentices in commercial companies must be completed by 1 January 2022 at the latest. Employees can be transferred to the new CBA salary system on every first day of each month. In companies with a works council, the transfer date must be set by a plant agreement concluded between the works council and the employer; in companies without a works council, employees must be notified in writing about the transfer date not later than three months in advance. In addition, within the CBA the social partners require that the transfer date in establishments which habitually employ more than ten employees must be communicated to them at least three months in advance by informal email, giving the name and address of the establishment, the number of employees and the forthcoming date of the transfer.

According to the CBA, at least four weeks before the transfer date, employees should receive a written record (Umstiegsdienstzettel) which must include the new employment group, new employment level or new employment group year and the new minimum salary resulting from it.

In general, the classification into employment groups and employment levels within the new salary system should be made according to the principles stipulated in the CBA.

Planned paid leave for pregnant women

This special paid leave applies to pregnant women from the 14th week of pregnancy who have physical contact with other people (whether other employees or external people) during work. Employers are required to protect pregnant employees from this contact by changing their working conditions or transferring them to another workplace; they can also consider the possibilities of working from home. Otherwise, the pregnant employee is entitled to paid leave. In implementing this, employers will be reimbursed for the associated costs (including social insurance payments and taxes) by the health insurance carrier. The entitlement to paid leave ends with the start of the prohibition on work before giving birth. The regulation will apply until 31 March 2021 for the time being.

Home office update (developed by a special task force established by the Government)

The (partly pre-existing and currently further developed) regulations concerning home office cover three essential points:

Accidents which occur during home office work are also covered by the accident insurance for accidents at work. This regulation which was implemented in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic has recently been extended from 31 December 2020 to 31 March 2021.

Commuter allowance

The commuter allowance will be granted to employees until 31 March 2021 even if employees do not commute between their home and workplace (during this period) as a result of short-time work or home office, but have done so before (which is a prerequisite for commuter allowance).

Two ‘home office guidelines’ which were issued by the Ministry of Labour shall provide practical support for companies and employees to make the home office environment as productive and safe as possible.

Ergonomic Work during Home Office:this guideline focuses on setting up an ergonomic workstation and creating a safe and healthy work environment at home. It has been created as a reference guide for employees as well as for employers.
Rules for Mobile Work and their Implementation:this guideline supports employers to develop organisational rules regarding mobile work and provides assistance to implement the relevant rules.
In addition, it has been announced by the responsible Minister, Christine Aschbacher, that further concrete home office regulations will be introduced by March 2021 at the latest.

Amendments to COVID-19 travel rules

The new Austrian Entry Regulation, which came into force on 19 December 2020 and remains in force until 31 March 2021 has introduced substantive amendments regarding entry to Austria.

For people entering Austria from Annex A countries (i.e. countries where there is no high COVID-19-risk), there are still no entry restrictions, provided they have stayed continuously in these countries or in Austria for the past ten days before their entry. For those entering Austria from countries other than those in Annex A, there is a mandatory ten-day quarantine period. From the fifth day on, individuals can be released from quarantine with a negative PCR or antigen test. Specific groups of people, such as humanitarian workers or medical escorts, do not have to enter quarantine if they can present a medical certificate confirming a negative PCR or antigen test which was performed not longer than 72 hours previously. If this test was carried out in Austria, quarantine can be terminated by a negative test result. In addition, there are also exceptions where no restrictions apply, such as travel for deaths, births or funerals of family members or if the person only travels through Austria without stopping.

Legal simplification of the Austrian Settlement and Residence Act

According to recent amendments of the Austrian Settlement and Residence Act the following simplifications have been effective since 24 December 2020:

People in the ‘extended circle of relatives of EEA citizens’ will already be allowed to pursue independent gainful employment based on a ‘settlement permit’ from the beginning of their stay in Austria. This category includes life partners who can prove the existence of a durable relationship as well as other relatives of EEA citizens who:

have already received financial support from the EEA citizen in his or her country of domicile;
who have already shared a home with the EEA citizen in the country of domicile; or
for whom serious health reasons make personal care by the EEA citizen absolutely necessary.
These individuals will be allowed to submit their application for a residence permit in Austria (instead of having to apply from abroad). In addition, proof of local accommodation will no longer be required and the maximum period within which the authorities must decide about the application will be reduced to 90 days. After two years of legal settlement in Austria and if the legal requirements are met, these individuals will be eligible for a ‘Red-White-Red-Card plus’ residence status irrespective of any quota.

In addition, the requirement on applicants to prove they have local accommodation when requesting a ‘Red-White-Red’ Card also ceased to exist from 24 December 2020.

Extension of special care time

The option to take time off for necessary care of children and other dependents (under special circumstances established by law) has been extended until 9 July 2021. Employees now have a legal right to special care time provided that the legal requirements are fulfilled. Their employers will get 100% reimbursement by the State (more precisely the federal government) of the continued remuneration paid to employees taking special care time. However, the entitlement to reimbursement for the wages paid to employees is capped at the maximum contribution base (EUR 5,370 for 2020) under the General Social Insurance Act (ASVG).

COVID-19 risk group provisions extended until 31 March 2021

The specific paid leave regulations for at-risk groups were recently extended until 31 March 2021. This means employees who belong to this particularly vulnerable group of people (as defined by the relevant regulation based on concrete medical criteria) and who do not have the option of home office work can be released from their duty to work while keeping full pay. The period of this measure may be further extended until the end of June 2021 (by a separate regulation) if the COVID-19 pandemic persists.

Visa and residence permit extensions

Special COVID-19-related immigration law provisions have been extended until 30 June 2021, for example certain visas (the visa for reasons particularly worthy of consideration and the visa for seasonal workers) which have already been acquired by the visa-holders will be valid beyond their initial validity period provided that the holders have a granted work permit. The possibility of submitting settlement and asylum renewal applications by post or electronically (instead applying in person) is also extended until 30 June 2021.