Austria is the only European country that has pre-assessed Philippine vocational qualifications at government level. The BMWET's Pre-Check register lists TESDA-level trainings that meet the requirements for shortage occupations — and for those, the AMS no longer examines the training case by case. Here is what that means for an employer, and how we source the profiles that fit.
Under the 2023 Austria–Philippines skilled-worker agreement, the Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism worked with the Philippine authorities to compare Philippine vocational trainings — content, hours, level in the Philippine Qualifications Framework — with Austrian apprenticeship standards. The result is the Pre-Check register: a list of Philippine qualifications that meet the requirements for occupations on the Fachkräfteverordnung shortage list. For a candidate whose qualification is on it, the AMS regional office can skip the individual examination of the training when the Rot-Weiß-Rot card is applied for. Qualifications not on the register are still assessed case by case; academic degrees and regulated professions such as nursing are outside it and follow their own recognition.
Since the agreement, 912 Rot-Weiß-Rot cards have been issued to Philippine nationals and 672 Filipinos are employed as skilled workers in Austria (March 2026). Austria is also extending the approach to Indonesia and other focus countries.
The register maps Philippine qualifications by level, not by name alone. In practice the profiles that clear it are advanced TESDA National Certificates — NC III, the advanced-skilled-worker level, and NC IV — and post-secondary technical diplomas, in the trades Austria lists: metal and welding, electrical, plumbing and heating, automotive, construction trades, cooks and hospitality. An NC II obtained in a short course is the most common Filipino certificate and often falls below the threshold; the difference between NC II and NC III is exactly what we screen for.
We hold the current version of the register and check each candidate's certificate, training hours and TESDA registry entry against it before presenting them, so the employer files a Rot-Weiß-Rot application whose qualification part is already settled. Everything here is subject to the Fachkräfteverordnung in force, the AMS assessment and Austrian residence and labour law.
The route is the Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte for skilled workers in shortage occupations: a completed vocational training in an occupation on the Fachkräfteverordnung 2026 list, a concrete job offer, at least 55 of 90 points, pay at collective-agreement level — no separate minimum salary — 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 for most shortage occupations, but it earns points (A1, A2, B1) and it decides how fast a worker becomes productive. We prepare candidates in Manila on request — A1/A2 for trades and hospitality before departure, B1 as the target for care and customer-facing roles — with partner schools and Goethe/ÖSD examinations.
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 Philippine ban on direct hiring applies; the employer is always your company, directly.
It means the training itself is pre-assessed. The AMS still checks the job offer, the collective-agreement pay and the points; the residence authority checks the general conditions.
Yes — we source them specifically. NC III is the advanced-skilled-worker level (it requires NC II plus work experience) and is far rarer than NC II; that scarcity is why the screening matters.
The AMS assesses it individually, as before the register existed; we say which case applies before you interview.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.