Darf ich mit der Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte in Weiterbildungszeit gehen?

Grundsätzlich ja, weil das Dienstverhältnis aufrecht bleibt. Klären Sie aber vorher, wie sich das auf Verlängerung und Einkommensnachweis auswirkt.

Zählt die Weiterbildungszeit für die Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte plus?

Die frühere Bildungskarenz wurde als Beschäftigungszeit mitgezählt. Ob das für die neue Weiterbildungszeit ebenso gilt, prüfen wir im Einzelfall.

Educational Leave | Immigration Lawyer Vienna

In short

Since 1 January 2026, educational leave (Bildungskarenz) has been called further training leave (Weiterbildungszeit), with stricter requirements.
Your employment relationship continues. This is decisive for the Red-White-Red Card.
Clarify beforehand: renewal, income and the switch to the Red-White-Red Card plus.

New since 2026

Educational leave has become further training leave

The former educational leave and educational part-time work (Bildungsteilzeit) no longer exist in this form. Since 1 January 2026, the models have been called further training leave (Weiterbildungszeit) and part-time further training (Weiterbildungsteilzeit), with new, stricter requirements and a separate further training allowance (Weiterbildungszeitgeld) paid by the Public Employment Service (AMS).

The basic principle stays the same: you agree with your employer on time off or reduced working hours, your employment relationship continues, and you complete further training during this time.

Residence

Is this possible with a Red-White-Red Card?

In principle, yes. The Foreign Employment Act (Ausländerbeschäftigungsgesetz) expressly counted educational leave as a period of employment for switching from the Red-White-Red Card to the Red-White-Red Card plus. Your current permit is tied to your employer, so the continuing employment relationship remains decisive during the further training.

Whether the new further training leave is treated the same way in every case is something we check individually.

Clarify first

Before you sign

How long is your residence permit still valid, and does a renewal fall within the further training leave?
Is your income during the further training sufficient for the renewal?
Does this time count towards switching to the Red-White-Red Card plus?
Do you meet the new requirements of the AMS?

Questions we get asked

Further training leave: quick answers

Can I take further training leave with a Red-White-Red Card?

In principle, yes, because your employment relationship continues. However, clarify beforehand how this affects your renewal and your proof of income.

Does further training leave count towards the Red-White-Red Card plus?

The former educational leave was counted as a period of employment. Whether the same applies to the new further training leave is something we check individually.