Lower Austria’s provincial government has formally asked the Interior Ministry to slash the number of family-reunification and other ‘quota-title’ residence permits it must accept in 2025, signalling growing regional resistance to inward migration. In a submission dated 7 December, the province requested its allocation be reduced from 348 to 273 places. The demand mirrors similar petitions from Styria and is reflected in a draft federal ordinance now under public consultation until 22 December.
Quota-title permits—covering family members of foreign workers, retirees of independent means, and certain digital nomads—are capped nationally; last year Austria authorised 5 846 principal applicants. If the Interior Ministry’s draft is adopted unchanged, the 2025 ceiling would fall to 5 616 nationwide. Officials argue that application numbers have dropped sharply since the federal moratorium on refugee family reunification took effect in July, justifying a leaner quota.
![Lower Austria pushes to cut 2025 family-reunification quota]()
Employers’ groups warn that tighter provincial quotas could complicate retention of key foreign staff whose spouses and children have yet to secure residence. Global mobility managers may need to stagger assignments or use alternative routes such as the Red-White-Red Card plus if family slots run out. Wealth advisers also note a potential scramble among high-net-worth retirees and digital nomads, who compete for the same limited pool of quota permits.
The public-comment period gives corporates a narrow window to lobby for higher allocations. Legal practitioners advise filing any quota-title applications immediately after the Bundesgesetzblatt publishes the final figures—typically on 2 January—because provincial quotas often exhaust within days.
Quota-title permits—covering family members of foreign workers, retirees of independent means, and certain digital nomads—are capped nationally; last year Austria authorised 5 846 principal applicants. If the Interior Ministry’s draft is adopted unchanged, the 2025 ceiling would fall to 5 616 nationwide. Officials argue that application numbers have dropped sharply since the federal moratorium on refugee family reunification took effect in July, justifying a leaner quota.
Employers’ groups warn that tighter provincial quotas could complicate retention of key foreign staff whose spouses and children have yet to secure residence. Global mobility managers may need to stagger assignments or use alternative routes such as the Red-White-Red Card plus if family slots run out. Wealth advisers also note a potential scramble among high-net-worth retirees and digital nomads, who compete for the same limited pool of quota permits.
The public-comment period gives corporates a narrow window to lobby for higher allocations. Legal practitioners advise filing any quota-title applications immediately after the Bundesgesetzblatt publishes the final figures—typically on 2 January—because provincial quotas often exhaust within days.
