Germany has dramatically shortened the processing time for long-term work visas for Indian skilled workers, reducing it from nine months to just two weeks. This move aims to address the country’s urgent need for qualified professionals, as reported by Schengen News.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock highlighted the critical shortage of skilled labor in Germany, emphasizing the necessity of streamlining the visa process. “The Federal Agency for Foreign Affairs is already the largest visa office for national visas worldwide. We urgently need skilled workers, and we’ve now managed to cut the waiting time for national visas in India to two weeks. This process used to take nine months,” Baerbock said.
Labor Shortages Impacting Economy
In 2023, Germany faced an estimated 570,000 job vacancies, according to the German Economic Institute (IW). Prolonged visa processes have also delayed those invited for training and conferences, exacerbating the issue. Indian companies with investments in Germany are particularly dependent on faster visa processing to bring specialists into the country.
The IW informed Deutsche Welle (DW) that the economic impact of unfilled jobs could result in a loss of €74 billion by 2027. The German Federal Foreign Office issued 80,000 employment-related visas from January to June 2024, with skilled workers making up half of the recipients—a 3,000-visa increase compared to the same period in 2023.
Although Germany’s Foreign Ministry introduced a ‘Visa Acceleration Action Plan’ in 2023, the IW cautioned that the plan might not yield the best results and could lead to an economic loss of €49 billion.
Strengthening India-Germany Relations
India and Germany continue to expand their diplomatic and economic ties. On August 14, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with German MPs Jurgen Hardt and Ralph Brinkhaus in Delhi, appreciating their consistent support for bilateral relations.
In addition, on August 13, German Ambassador Phillip Ackerman attended ‘Tarang Shakti,’ a joint exercise between the German Air Force and the Indian Air Force in Tamil Nadu. This marked the first collaboration of its kind between the two air forces.
On August 12, the German Embassy in India, alongside Fraunhofer, hosted a conference in New Delhi titled ‘Sustainability: The Technology Imperative for Our Future: German Innovations in India.’ The event focused on advancing sustainable technologies through German-Indian cooperation.
Source: Live Mint
