Restaurant chefs — commis, chef de partie, patissier, sous-chef, chef de cuisine — are nationwide shortage occupation #47 for 2026, and cooks and kitchen staff were the third-largest group of Rot-Weiß-Rot cards issued in 2023. Filipino cooks from hotel schools, cruise lines and Gulf kitchens are the supply.
Alpine and city tourism give Austria a structural shortage of cooks, and 2026 keeps chefs nationwide with an unusually detailed entry — from commis to sushi and pizza cooks. Filipino cooks come from hotel schools, cruise lines and Gulf hotel kitchens; we source NC III and diploma profiles and cook-test them to your brief.
A live cook to your brief at Prime Search's Makati kitchen — mise en place, a hot dish, a plating — watched live by your head chef; hygiene and knife skills scored; German preparation on request.
The route is the Rot-Weiß-Rot card for skilled workers in shortage occupations: completed vocational training in the occupation, a job offer, at least 55 of 90 points, pay at collective-agreement level — no separate minimum — and a decision within eight weeks. Where the candidate's Philippine qualification is in the BMWET Pre-Check register, the AMS individual assessment of the training can be waived.
German is not a legal condition of the card, but it earns points (A1, A2, B1) and decides how fast a worker becomes productive; we prepare candidates in Manila on request — A2 for workshop roles, B1 for customer-facing work.
Recruitment runs through our own DMW-licensed agency, Prime Search Manpower Agency Inc. in Makati (licence DMW-027-LB-11182024): your company is accredited at the Migrant Workers Office with jurisdiction for Austria, the job order is registered with the DMW, and every worker leaves Manila with a verified contract, medical clearance, pre-departure orientation and an Overseas Employment Certificate. The employer is always your company, directly.
Everything here is subject to the Fachkräfteverordnung in force, the AMS assessment and Austrian residence and labour law.
Austria's seasonal quotas are a separate route; the shortage-occupation card is for permanent employment, which is what we recruit for.
Regional in 2026 — Salzburg lists them; we check your Land.
Two to four weeks to a tested shortlist; three to five months to arrival, longer with German preparation.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.