Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner used a press conference in Vienna on 23 January to publish the government’s annual asylum and immigration statistics – and the numbers mark a watershed. According to Karner, the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) carried out 14,156 removals in 2025, the highest total since modern records began. Approximately 48 percent of those removed had criminal convictions, while voluntary returns accounted for 54 percent.
The hard-line approach helped drive the overall number of asylum applications down to 16,284 – a 36 percent drop from 2024 and roughly 73 percent below the 2023 peak. Applications lodged by first-time arrivals fell even more sharply (-84.5 percent compared with 2023), a trend the ministry attributes to “zero-tolerance” border policing, tighter visa screening and the July 2025 suspension of family-reunification rights for recognised refugees.
Karner argued that accelerated procedures and robust return enforcement are necessary to preserve public support for protection programmes: “An asylum system can only function if it is strict, tough and therefore fair. That means zero tolerance for abuse and quick removal of offenders.” General Security Director Franz Ruf added that Austria now ranks twelfth in the EU for asylum claims per capita, down from second place in 2022.
![Austria reports record 14,156 deportations in 2025 as asylum applications fall 36 percent]()
For corporate mobility managers the headline is clear: Austria is doubling down on deterrence. Companies relocating staff from high-risk jurisdictions should expect more intensive background checks, longer visa-processing times and a greater likelihood of additional document requests. At the same time, the government insists that skilled-worker channels such as the Red-White-Red Card remain welcome – provided applicants satisfy rising salary and proof-of-funds thresholds introduced on 1 January 2026.
In that context, partnering with a dedicated visa platform can be invaluable. VisaHQ, for example, maintains an Austria-focused team (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) that assists companies and individuals in compiling the exact paperwork required under the Red-White-Red Card and other permit categories, pre-screens applications against the latest rule changes, and tracks submissions end-to-end—helping to save time and reduce the risk of refusals.
Practical takeaway: employers should allow extra lead-time for assignee visas, ensure criminal-record certificates are up to date, and budget for possible appeals in complex family-reunification cases. Immigration counsel also recommend proactive monitoring of travel histories, as the BFA is increasingly using Eurodac and the EU Entry/Exit System to spot previous irregular stays.
The hard-line approach helped drive the overall number of asylum applications down to 16,284 – a 36 percent drop from 2024 and roughly 73 percent below the 2023 peak. Applications lodged by first-time arrivals fell even more sharply (-84.5 percent compared with 2023), a trend the ministry attributes to “zero-tolerance” border policing, tighter visa screening and the July 2025 suspension of family-reunification rights for recognised refugees.
Karner argued that accelerated procedures and robust return enforcement are necessary to preserve public support for protection programmes: “An asylum system can only function if it is strict, tough and therefore fair. That means zero tolerance for abuse and quick removal of offenders.” General Security Director Franz Ruf added that Austria now ranks twelfth in the EU for asylum claims per capita, down from second place in 2022.
For corporate mobility managers the headline is clear: Austria is doubling down on deterrence. Companies relocating staff from high-risk jurisdictions should expect more intensive background checks, longer visa-processing times and a greater likelihood of additional document requests. At the same time, the government insists that skilled-worker channels such as the Red-White-Red Card remain welcome – provided applicants satisfy rising salary and proof-of-funds thresholds introduced on 1 January 2026.
In that context, partnering with a dedicated visa platform can be invaluable. VisaHQ, for example, maintains an Austria-focused team (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) that assists companies and individuals in compiling the exact paperwork required under the Red-White-Red Card and other permit categories, pre-screens applications against the latest rule changes, and tracks submissions end-to-end—helping to save time and reduce the risk of refusals.
Practical takeaway: employers should allow extra lead-time for assignee visas, ensure criminal-record certificates are up to date, and budget for possible appeals in complex family-reunification cases. Immigration counsel also recommend proactive monitoring of travel histories, as the BFA is increasingly using Eurodac and the EU Entry/Exit System to spot previous irregular stays.
