The decision
How do I find out what the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum has decided?
After your interview, the Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) will check your statements. If the BFA still has questions after the interview, it may be the case that you are invited to a further interview. Enquiries may be made in your home country to check whether your story is correct. Your name will not be passed on to the authorities or the police in your home country. If you do want this check, you must notify the BFA of this. You will have to explain why you do not want this. The BFA will then decide on your application. You will receive written notification from the BFA.
What does a positive notification mean?
If you are granted asylum in Austria according to your notification, you may stay in Austria. You will be given a right of residence for three years. If after three years you continue to be under threat in your home country, you will be given a right of residence for an indefinite period of time.
With asylum status, you may work in Austria. Children and young people under the age of 18 may bring their parents to Austria. You can apply for a passport with which you can travel. This passport is called a "convention passport".
If the requirements for international protection are given with a family member in the family proceedings, then the other family members in the family proceedings will receive the same protection.
What does "subsidiary protection" mean?
Subsidiary protection is granted to people who are not safe in their home country. If you are awarded subsidiary protection, you will be given a right of residence in Austria for one year. You will receive a grey card - the "residence permit card for people who have been granted subsidiary protection". Your right of residence can be extended. For this, you have to file an application for extension. The application must be filed before your right of residence ends. It is possible that you will then receive a right of residence for another two years. You are now allowed to work in Austria. Children and young people under the age of 18 whose right of residence has been extended after three years may subsequently bring their parents to Austria. You can apply for a passport with which you can travel. This is called an alien's passport.
I have received a positive notification – what are the next steps now?
If you have been granted asylum or subsidiary protection, the start accompaniment of Interface Wien offers you temporary integration support of a maximum of two years. This aims to support you through help for self-help to organise your new life in Austria under your own responsibility and autonomously. The start accompaniment follows directly on from the counselling by the basic social benefits service. The start accompaniment is available to persons who have been granted asylum and subsidiary protection (who no longer receive basic services/Grundversorgung) and institutions as the first point of contact for all questions regarding possible integration steps.
Please note the following important points after a positive notification:
- With a positive notification, you immediately have free access to the labour market.
- From the day on which the asylum notification is issued, you will only be able to claim basic services (Grundversorgung) for another four months.
- You have to report to the Arbeitsmarktservice Wien (AMS Vienna) as seeking employment. For this, please bring the original of your registration form, your asylum notification and your white or grey card. Ask the AMS for a confirmation about your pre-registration as seeking employment.
- File an application with the Wiener Sozialzentren responsible for your district of residence for needs-based minimum benefits. For this, you require the following documents:
- Application form
- Proof of identity / photo ID
- Asylum notification and other personal documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, if applicable divorce decree or settlement)
- Current income receipts / notification from the AMS
- Rent receipts
- Proof of benefits applied for (e.g. benefits from the AMS)
- Proof of assets
- If you are in Austria with your family, you can file an application for family allowance and for childcare allowance. Further information under:
Family allowance
Childcare allowance
Here you will find other important info:
on the topic of "Housing"
on the topic of "Social matters"
on the topic of "Education"
on the topic of "Work"