Lower Austria’s provincial government confirmed on 7 December that it has formally asked the Interior Ministry to slash the number of ‘settlement-permit’ quota places assigned to the province for 2025—from 348 to 273. The request mirrors a similar demand from Styria and has been accepted in the draft federal ordinance now under public review. Although the quota mainly covers family members of foreign workers, it also caps the coveted non-work residence route for wealthy retirees and digital nomads who can prove sufficient means.
If enacted, the national quota for family-reunification and private-means permits would fall to 5,616, down from 5,846 last year. Interior-ministry officials say the cut is justified by falling application numbers after a federal moratorium on family reunification for recognised refugees came into force in July. Critics from the far-right FPÖ claim the reduction does not go far enough, calling for a ‘zero quota’, while legal experts warn that a total freeze would violate Austria’s objectivity requirement and EU free-movement rules.
![Lower Austria Leads Push to Shrink 2025 Family-Reunification Quotas]()
For corporate HR teams, the immediate impact is administrative: fewer quota slots raise the risk that highly skilled employees will be unable to secure family visas in time for school enrolment or end-of-year assignment cycles. Immigration advisers report that Vienna and Graz are already fully booked for 2025 appointments, making provincial quotas a key fallback for companies with sites in Lower Austria.
The draft ordinance remains open for comment until 16 December. Mobility practitioners are advised to file supporting statements and, if necessary, move dependants under alternative routes such as the Red-White-Red Card Plus, which is not subject to provincial caps but has higher income and integration requirements.
Because the federal government plans to roll the 2025 figures into 2026 pending a wider quota overhaul, the numbers agreed this month will effectively govern non-EU family migration for the next 18 months.
If enacted, the national quota for family-reunification and private-means permits would fall to 5,616, down from 5,846 last year. Interior-ministry officials say the cut is justified by falling application numbers after a federal moratorium on family reunification for recognised refugees came into force in July. Critics from the far-right FPÖ claim the reduction does not go far enough, calling for a ‘zero quota’, while legal experts warn that a total freeze would violate Austria’s objectivity requirement and EU free-movement rules.
For corporate HR teams, the immediate impact is administrative: fewer quota slots raise the risk that highly skilled employees will be unable to secure family visas in time for school enrolment or end-of-year assignment cycles. Immigration advisers report that Vienna and Graz are already fully booked for 2025 appointments, making provincial quotas a key fallback for companies with sites in Lower Austria.
The draft ordinance remains open for comment until 16 December. Mobility practitioners are advised to file supporting statements and, if necessary, move dependants under alternative routes such as the Red-White-Red Card Plus, which is not subject to provincial caps but has higher income and integration requirements.
Because the federal government plans to roll the 2025 figures into 2026 pending a wider quota overhaul, the numbers agreed this month will effectively govern non-EU family migration for the next 18 months.
