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Yes. On the Student Residence Permit you can work up to 20 hours a week, and after graduating you can stay up to 12 months to find a job or start a business — then move to the Red-White-Red Card for graduates, which has no points test.
Austria is one of the more welcoming places for students who want to build a career after graduation. While studying on the Student Residence Permit, you can work up to 20 hours a week with an employment permit, and there's no labour-market test for that 20-hour cap.
After you complete your degree, the permit lets you stay on for up to 12 months to look for a job or start a business. That gives you a real runway to convert your studies into work in Austria rather than having to leave immediately.
The natural next step is the Red-White-Red Card — Graduates of Austrian Universities. Unlike the other Red-White-Red tiers, this one has no points test: you simply need a graduate-level job offer paying the locally customary gross minimum for comparable Austrian junior employees, plus a valid travel document and all-risks health insurance. For someone who has just finished studying here, it's often the most direct way into the Austrian workforce.
Conditions and tuition figures can change, so confirm the current rules on migration.gv.at before you plan your post-study move.
Get a free, personalised assessment from a licensed ACME advisor, or ask Acey.
Guidance only, not legal advice. ACME is an independent consultancy, not affiliated with any government. Rules change, confirm details with official sources.