Overview
Job seeker routes reverse the normal order of work migration: instead of needing a job offer first, you enter legally and search from inside the country. The four routes: Germany's Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte), Austria's Job Seeker Visa for the very highly qualified, Sweden's permit for advanced degree holders, and Portugal's skilled job seeker visa, written into law but not yet open. One rule never changes: the visa buys you time to search. It never buys you a job.
Eligibility
Each route sets a skills test. Germany uses full qualification recognition or a points route needing at least 6 points. Austria needs at least 70 of 100 points on the Very Highly Qualified Workers table. Sweden needs a second cycle degree. Portugal's skilled route awaits its regulation. The exact test for each country is in the country sections below.
Requirements
Funds proof is the heart of every route: you prove the money before you travel, never after you arrive. The exact figure differs per country and is shown on the country cards below. Health insurance is required in Germany and Sweden and expected in Austria.
Required documents
- Passport
- qualification certificates, with recognition evidence
- language and experience evidence for points
- funds proof covering the full search period
- health insurance
- a CV and a search plan
Costs & fees
Budget the full search period yourself, with no guaranteed income. Germany charges a EUR 75 visa fee; the blocked account money stays yours and is released monthly. Austria's later Red-White-Red Card fee is EUR 218. Per-country figures are in the detail sections below.
Language requirements
Germany's points route needs German at A1 or English at B2 as a baseline; stronger German earns more points. Austria's points table rewards German and English. Sweden sets no language test. Portugal's rules await its regulation.
Work rights
Germany is the exception: Opportunity Card holders may work part time for up to 20 hours per week, plus trial work of up to two weeks per employer, while searching. Austria and Sweden allow no work at all on the search title. Portugal's law, once the route opens, authorises highly qualified professional activity during the visa period.
Family information
These routes are designed for the applicant alone. Family cannot join on the Opportunity Card itself; reunification opens once you switch to a work title, and a partner can apply for their own card. Austria: family joins after the Red-White-Red Card. Sweden: applicant only. Portugal allows family reunification only after a residence permit is granted.
Application process
- 1
The pattern is the same everywhere: check you meet one route's points or degree test, prepare the funds proof first, apply through the official channel, enter and search in person, then convert to a work title before the hard deadline. If the deadline passes without qualifying work, you leave. Country specifics are in the detail sections below.
Four countries will let you enter legally to look for work before you hold a job offer. Every one of them charges for that time in advance: prove the funds, pass a points or degree test, and find qualifying work before a hard deadline, or go home.
Choose your country
Four routes, four sets of rules. Compare the three facts that matter most, then open a country for the full detail.
Germany
Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte)
- Funds proof: EUR 1,091 per month, EUR 13,092 for the year, usually a blocked account
- Time to search: 12 months
- Work while searching: Yes, up to 20 hours per week, plus trial work
Applications open
Austria
Job Seeker Visa
- Funds proof: Sufficient means for the six month search
- Time to search: 6 months
- Work while searching: No work allowed on the search title
Applications open
Sweden
Residence permit to look for work
- Funds proof: SEK 13,000 per month plus return journey money
- Time to search: Each month you apply for, fully funded
- Work while searching: No work allowed on the search title
Applications open
Portugal
Skilled Job Seeker Visa
- Funds proof: To be set by the pending regulation
- Time to search: Not open yet
- Work while searching: The law authorises highly qualified professional activity once the route opens
Not yet open
Germany: Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte)
Who qualifies
Your qualification is fully recognised in Germany, or on the points route you hold a university degree or a vocational qualification of at least two years, recognised where you trained, plus at least 6 points for recognition, experience, language, age and links to Germany. Language baseline: German at A1 or English at B2, and stronger German earns more points.
Money proof
At least EUR 1,091 net per month, EUR 13,092 for the full year, usually shown with a blocked account. The blocked account money stays yours and is released monthly. Health insurance is required.
Process
Apply through Germany’s Consular Services Portal or your German mission, then enter and search in person: applications, interviews and trial work of up to two weeks per employer. While searching you may work part time up to 20 hours per week.
Conversion to a work title
With a qualifying job offer, convert inside Germany to a work residence title or EU Blue Card.
The hard deadline
Twelve months. If the deadline passes without qualifying work, you leave. This stay cannot be stretched.
Austria: Job Seeker Visa
Who qualifies
At least 70 of 100 points on the Very Highly Qualified Workers table, confirmed by the Public Employment Service (AMS) before the visa is issued. The points table rewards German and English.
Money proof
Sufficient means for the six month search. Health insurance is expected.
Process
Get AMS points confirmation first, then apply at an Austrian embassy or consulate, then enter and search in person. No work is allowed on the search title itself.
Conversion to a work title
With a qualifying job offer, convert inside Austria to the Red-White-Red Card. Its fee is EUR 218.
The hard deadline
Six months. If the deadline passes without qualifying work, you leave. This stay cannot be stretched.
Sweden: Residence permit to look for work
Who qualifies
A second cycle degree: a master’s, postgraduate or advanced professional degree. Sweden sets no language test.
Money proof
Bank assets of at least SEK 13,000 for each month you apply for, plus money for your return journey. The money stays in your own account. Health insurance is required.
Process
Apply to the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) from outside Sweden, then enter and search in person. No work is allowed on the search title itself.
Conversion to a work title
With a qualifying job offer, convert to a work permit before your search permit expires.
The hard deadline
The permit’s expiry date. If no qualifying work arrives before it expires, you leave. This stay cannot be stretched.
Portugal: Skilled Job Seeker Visa
Not yet open
Who qualifies
The skilled job seeker visa created by Law 61/2025 covers holders of specialised technical skills. The regulation defining those skills was unpublished at the last verification.
Money proof
No figure published yet. The funds test will be set by the pending regulation.
Process
There is no application channel yet. Consulates stopped accepting applications until the regulation defining the eligible skills is published. Anyone selling you an appointment or a package for this visa is selling something that does not exist yet.
Conversion to a work title
To be defined by the pending regulation.
The hard deadline
To be defined by the pending regulation. The law adds a one year wait before you can apply again if a search period ends without qualifying work.
Who this is for
Qualified workers and graduates whose applications from home keep stalling at the interview stage, who hold the savings these routes demand, and who can spend several months searching in the country. It also suits strong points scorers: recognised qualifications, solid experience and good German or English.
Who this is NOT for
- Anyone without the full funds proof. No version of these routes lets you sort the money out after arriving.
- Anyone who has been sold a job seeker package with a guaranteed job. No authority sells or guarantees jobs, and the visa never includes one.
- Anyone planning to work full time, or to work at all in Austria or Sweden, during the search. That is unauthorised work and it ends the route.
- Anyone whose qualification does not meet the degree or points floor. A job seeker visa is not a softer version of a work permit.
FAQ
Q: Does a job seeker visa guarantee me a job?
A: No. It guarantees you legal time in the country to search. Employers still choose, salaries still have to meet the work permit rules, and if no qualifying offer arrives before the deadline, you leave.
Q: How much money do I need to show?
A: Germany requires at least EUR 1,091 net per month, so EUR 13,092 for the full year. Sweden requires at least SEK 13,000 per month plus return journey money. Austria tests whether your means cover the six month search. The money must be evidenced before you travel, not earned after you arrive.
Q: Can I work while I search?
A: In Germany, yes, within limits: up to 20 hours per week part time, plus trial work of up to two weeks per employer. In Austria and Sweden, no work is allowed on the search title itself.
Q: Is the Portugal job seeker visa open?
A: Not at the last verification. Portugal replaced the general visa with a skilled job seeker visa on 23 October 2025, and consulates stopped accepting applications until the regulation defining the eligible skills is published. Anyone selling you an appointment or a package for it is selling something that does not exist yet.
Next step
If you can fund the search and you meet one route’s points or degree test, a job seeker title can be the honest way in. If you cannot fund it, the stronger plan is usually to build your profile and apply for work routes from home. Book a free consultation and we will test your points, funds and deadline against the real rules before you spend anything.
NVConsult provides education and application guidance, not legal advice. No visa, job or outcome is guaranteed. Decisions rest solely with embassies, authorities and employers.
Official sources
Make it in Germany, Opportunity Card: https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/visa-residence/opportunity-card/job-search-opportunity-card
Federal migration portal, Austria, Very Highly Qualified Workers and Job Seeker Visa: https://www.migration.gv.at/index.php?id=1049
Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket), residence permit for highly qualified persons to look for work or start a business: migrationsverket.se
Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, change in the regime regarding work seeking visa applications: https://vistos.mne.gov.pt/en/highlights/change-in-the-regime-regarding-work-seeking-visa-applications