Migration

Official State Visit of the King of Jordan to Austria

King Abdullah II of Jordan recently met with President Van der Bellen in Vienna. The two leaders discussed various issues, including climate change. Read more about King Abdullah's official visit to Austria.

Yesterday

Smart Borders: Austrian Green Light for Implementation of EU-wide Entry/Exit System

Austria has passed a law to help implement the EU-wide entry/exit system (EES) as stipulated in the EU's "Smart Borders Package." Read more about the new law and what it means for border controls and law enforcement cooperation in the EU.

October 25, 2021

Austria's Strategy for the Upcoming European Council Meeting

Ahead of the European Council meeting in Brussels, Austrian Chancellor Schallenberg, EU Minister Edtstadler, and members of parliament laid out Austria's strategy for the meeting. Read their stances on the key issues they plan to raise in Brussels.

October 22, 2021

Conference on Migration Partnerships in Vienna

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is hosting the sixth Vienna Migration Conference (VMC). The conference will allow various stakeholders and high-level officials to discuss partnerships and reassess their strategies for dealing with new migration challenges. Read more about the event.

October 19, 2021

Asylum Seekers and Migrants Should Get Vaccinated

The Austrian Minister for Integration Susanne Raab recently visited a mobile vaccination station at the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) Vienna to highlight the importance of making vaccines easily available to those with migration backgrounds. The ÖIF Integration Center Vienna has hosted the station multiple times and will do so again. Read more about the initiative and find out when the vaccination station will be at the ÖIF next.

October 18, 2021

Schallenberg's First Foreign Trip as Austrian Chancellor

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel recently met for talks in Brussels with Chancellor Schallenberg on his first foreign trip since being appointed chancellor. Read about the chancellor's trip, his talks with the two leaders, and a Twitter error involving former Chancellor Kurz.

October 15, 2021

Long Day of Escape: UNHCR Event in Austria on Refuge, Human Rights and Coexistence

Escape, human rights and peaceful coexistence are the focus of the UNHCR event series "Long Day of Escape", which took place for the 10th time this year.

October 1, 2021

Minister for European Affairs: The Fight against Migration as a Means of Pressure on the EU

Austrian Minister for European Affairs Karoline Edtstadler embarked on a multi-country trip to Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, and Romania. The central topic of discussion is the increasing migratory pressure on the EU’s external borders, especially from Afghanistan and Belarus. Minister Edtstadler emphasized the need for border security at the EU's external borders and for targeted sanctions on Alexander Lukashenko's regime.

September 15, 2021

Forum Alpbach: Reaffirming the Importance of the Conference on the Future of Europe

The EU ministers from five member states signed the "Alpbach Declaration on the Future of Europe" at the European Forum Alpbach. The five ministers were Judit Varga from Hungary, Thomas Byrne from Ireland, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis from Greece, Juan González-Barba from Spain, and Karoline Edtstadler from Austria. The declaration highlights the necessity for cooperation and dialogue to ensure that the EU has a successful future.

September 7, 2021

Vučić Hosted Kurz: The "Fight Against Illegal Migration"

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić recently received Chancellor Kurz in Belgrade. The two of them spoke about illegal migration, especially regarding the refugees fleeing from Afghanistan. Other topics of discussion included bilateral relations and the EU rapprochement process. Kurz also spoke with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić about EU accession for the Western Balkans.

September 7, 2021

Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein Calls on Austria to Reopen Embassy in Baghdad

The Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein visited Vienna and the European Forum Alpbach at the invitation of Alexander Schallenberg. The topics of the conversation between the two foreign ministers according to the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Vienna.

September 2, 2021

Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein in Vienna

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein met Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna for bilateral discussions. Some specific issues the pair discussed include Afghanistan, the security situation in Iraq and the Middle East, terrorism, and migration. Read about their meeting and watch their joint press conference.

September 1, 2021

Afghanistan: Austria Discusses Aid with Neighboring States Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan

To discuss cooperation and support on the situation in Afghanistan, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Interior Minister Karl Nehammer initiated a joint video conference with Afghanistan's Central Asian neighbors, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as three European countries, Germany, Denmark, and Greece. The focus of the conversation with Afghanistan’s neighboring countries was on security, migration, and humanitarian aid.

August 31, 2021

Switzerland and Austria Step Up Fight Against Illegal Migration

Swiss Justice and Police Minister Karin Maria Keller-Sutter met Interior Minister Karl Nehammer to discuss the current developments in Afghanistan as well as Switzerland's accession to the migration platform.

August 23, 2021

Austria: Establishment of Deportation Centers in the Region Surrounding Afghanistan to Enable Deportations in the Future

Austria's Interior Minister Karl Nehammer has proposed deportation centers in Afghanistan's neighboring countries at the Special Council of EU Interior Ministers.

August 19, 2021

Bulgarian President Meets With Van der Bellen in Salzburg

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev recently met with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen at the Salzburg Festival. The two discussed various issues, including climate change, migration, the Western Balkans and more. Read more about their meeting.

August 2, 2021

Croatian-Austrian Relations: Support for the Planned Schengen Accession

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman recently met with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in Zagreb. The pair discussed the planned accession of Croatia into the Schengen area, as well as safe travel practices for the summer.

July 27, 2021

At Summit With Merkel, Kurz Reaffirms Support for Western Balkan EU Accession

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and other leaders for the Western Balkans Summit. Kurz expressed his full support for the six Western Balkan states Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Read what he said.

July 15, 2021

Venezuela and Colombia Receive Support from Austria

In the midst of a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and Colombia, the Austrian government has decided to support the two Latin American countries and to additionally substantially increase the UNHCR funding. Read more below.

June 28, 2021

Malta and Austria Demand Peace for Libya

At a bilateral meeting between the Maltese Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg in Malta, both politicians spoke out in favor of increased support for the Libyan population that has long suffered from the hostile situation in the North African country.

June 15, 2021

Italian Interior Minister and Nehammer Agree on Cooporation Against Terrorism

The Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese visited her Austrian counterpart Karl Nehammer in Vienna to talk about migration and bilateral cooperation with regard to fighting terrorism and extremism.

May 5, 2021

North Macedonia's Deputy Prime Minister Visits Edtstadler in Vienna

Nikola Dimitrov, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs from North Macedonia, has visited the Austrian Minister for European Affairs, Karoline Edtstadler, in Vienna. On the agenda of the talk between the two politicians were the EU accession process of North Macedonia and the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

April 16, 2021

Austria's Schallenberg and Nehammer at EU Foreign and Interior Ministers' Meeting

For the first time ever, EU Foreign and Interior Ministers met jointly to discuss migration issues. Austria's Foreign Minister Schallenberg and Interior Minister Nehammer demand a better system for the repatriation process of migrants who have not been granted asylum.

March 16, 2021

From Which Countries Do Most of the Foreigners in Vienna and Austria Come?

Vienna currently has 1.92 million inhabitants of whom 31.5% percent are foreign nationals. Austria-wide, there are 8,933,346 people of whom 17.1% are foreign nationals. Below you can see, among other data, the largest foreign nationalities.

February 14, 2021

Speaker of Serbian Parliament Meets Sobotka

Serbia's Speaker of Parliament, Ivica Dačić, and Austria's National Council President, Wolfgang Sobotka, met virtually to discuss current issues. The agenda of the meeting comprised the counties' approaches with regard to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, the work of parliaments in times of the pandemic and the migration movements in the Western Balkans.

January 28, 2021

Bosnia and Herzegovina Receives Support From Austria

The Austrian Foreign Ministry has decided to provide the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) with EUR 1 million for the humanitarian care of refugees and migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Foreign Minister Schallenberg is eager to support the affected people with rapid assistance directly in the area.

January 4, 2021

City of Vienna Supports Aid for Moria

The City of Vienna has agreed on supporting the refugees in Moria and Lesvos with financial aid. EUR 300,000 will be distributed among three non-governmental organizations, which will then provide immediate assistance for those, who currently live under extreme conditions in the refugee camps.

December 16, 2020

Vienna Migration Conference: The Effects of Covid-19

The Vienna Migration Conference is taking place from November 16 to November 19, 2020, and can be followed online. Due to Covid-19, this year's event is held solely online and, as a matter of fact, will also examine the effects of the current crisis on migration and migration policy.

November 18, 2020

Virtual Meeting Between Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria

The Czech and Slovak Foreign Ministers met with Austria's European Affiars Minister to discuss cooperation during the Covid-19 pandemic and the joint fight against terrorism. Other topics on the agenda were the EU's migration policy, the current budget negotiations and the conference on the future of Europe.

November 16, 2020

EU Council President in Vienna

EU Council President Michel came to Vienna to commemorate the victims of the Vienna terror attack and to discuss measures that could enhance the fight against terrorism. Chancellor Kurz and Michel both agreed on the fact that the EU needs to find joint solutions for Political Islam and the terror that is often a result.

November 9, 2020

Spanish Secretary of State for EU Met Edtstadler

The Spanish Secretary of State for the EU González-Barba Pera met European Affairs Minister Edtstadler in Vienna to discuss the fight against Covid-19 and the cooperation on EU-level. Both sides agreed on the importance of a common effort by the European Union to tackle future problems.

October 28, 2020

Italian Interior Minister Met Nehammer

Italian Interior Minister Lamorgese welcomed her Austrian counterpart Nehammer for a working meeting in Rome. The main discussion topics were the fight against organized crime and illegal trafficking as well as strengthening repatriation agreements with third countries.

October 27, 2020

EU Council: Kurz Demands Better Coordination of Restrictions

At the EU Council of the heads of state and government, Chancellor Kurz demands better coordination of travel restrictions, quarantine periods and testing with regard to Covid-19. Other topics on the agenda were the Brexit negotiations, foreign relations, and climate protection.

October 16, 2020

Germany Extends Border Controls to Austria

Germany announced that it will extend the border controls on the German-Austrian border for another six months starting November 12 2020. These controls are in place since the end of 2015 and will not include any new or unexpected measures.

October 15, 2020

Border Controls with Slovenia and Hungary Will be Extended

The border controls between the Slovenian-Austrian and Hungarian-Austrian border will be extended once again. Austria's Interior Minister Nehammer cited as reasons the "continuing migration pressure, maintenance of internal security and the tense situation surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic".

October 14, 2020

Swedish Minister for EU Affairs Met Austrian Counterpart

The Swedish and Austrian Minister for EU Affairs have come together to discuss current EU topics which included migration policy, the joint fight against Covid-19 and recent developments between Great Britain and the EU regarding Brexit.

October 7, 2020

EU Special Summit Deals with Foreign Policy Issues

The EU government heads have come together to discuss foreign policy issues in Brussels. Chancellor Kurz is representing Austria at the meeting and has already met with Council President Michel, EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Borrell and Commission President von der Leyen.

October 1, 2020

Joint Statement by Greece and Austria

Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Austrian Chancellor Kurz have issued a joint statement that deals with European refugee policy and the ongoing dispute with Turkey over the natural gas deposit in the Mediterranean.

September 9, 2020

Illegal Migration: Austria Calls for More Coordination and Cooperation on Eastern Mediterranean Routes

Agreement reached at the Ministerial Conference to Combat Illegal Migration on the Eastern Mediterranean Routes in Vienna. It was decided to establish a platform for the fight against illegal migration.

July 24, 2020

New IOM Regional Director Renate Held Presents Credentials at UN Vienna

The new Permanent Representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to the United Nations, Renate Held, presented her credentials to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna. The IOM has offices in 19 countries and territories in the "South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Region" (SEEECA) including sub-regional offices in Central Asia and the Western Balkans.

July 22, 2020

COVID-19 and the Situation of Refugees in Austria

A research project at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW - Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften) reveals the situation of refugees in Austria in the midst of the Corona crisis.

June 25, 2020

Information Campaign on Coronavirus in 11 Foreign Languages

As part of an information campaign for people with a migration background on how to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19), extensive information is now available in 11 foreign languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Dari/Farsi, English, French, Pashto, Polish, Russian, Somali, Turkish and Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian.

March 16, 2020

Austria: 1.5 Mio Foreigners out of 8.9 Mio Population

1,487,020 people or 16.7% of the population in Austria are foreign nationals. Read which are the 15 largest foreign nationalities in Austria?

February 20, 2020

Repatriation: Round-Table with Representatives of African Embassies at the Ministry of the Interior

Embassy representatives from French-speaking African countries, representatives of the French Office for Immigration and Integration and representatives of the Austrian Ministry of the Interior met in Vienna to strengthen cooperation in the field of return and reintegration.

November 12, 2019

Vienna Migration Agency Develops Recommendations for EU

Entitled "Breaking the gridlock and moving forward: Recommendations for the next five years of EU migration policy", participants of the Vienna Migration Conference 2019 will explore migration policy options and the formulation of future strategies.

October 11, 2019

Integration Report 2019: Asylum Applications Decline, Immigration Persists

The Expert Council on Integration chaired by Prof. Dr. Katharina Pabel presented Austria's ninth Integration Report. The report deals with integration monitoring and the perspectives of integration. It covers topics such as immigration, asylum, residence, school, apprenticeship, adult education, labour market, social issues, dealing with different gender roles, integration of young people, family reunification, marriage migration and dealing with religious diversity. Read the key findings here.

September 5, 2019

46% Fewer Asylum Applications in Austria

13,375 asylum applications were received in Austria last year - 46% less than in 2017 (24,715). A total of 664,480 applications for international protection were filed in the EU (including Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein) in 2018. The number of asylum applications in Austria and the EU has thus declined for the third year in a row and has returned to pre-crisis levels.

June 27, 2019

Global Compact for Migration: Top UN Refugee Agency Diplomat Volker Türk at the Kreisky Forum

Austria's top diplomat in the UNHCR, a United Nations Programme, the international law expert Dr. Volker Türk has made an appeal to governments, NGOs and individuals to rethink refugee protection and to implement the UN Global Compact for Refugees adopted in 2018.

June 6, 2019

Migration Agency Demands New EU Migration Policy

Vienna based think tank International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is teaming up with its 17 member states to draw up migration policy recommendations for the next EU Commission.

May 10, 2019

Silvana Meixner Receives Ari Rath Prize for Critical Journalism 2019

ORF journalist and presenter Silvana Meixner will be awarded the second Ari-Rath Prize for Critical Journalism on May 6th, 2019, the Day of Freedom of the Press. This prize was established to honour journalists who have rendered outstanding services to critical reporting on immigration, expulsion and asylum, committed to respect for human rights, in the spirit of the former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, Ari Rath (pictured) who died in January 2017.

April 4, 2019