German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to India has already yielded positive results as the country on Friday announced that it would significantly boost the number of visas issued to skilled Indians.
The Scholz administration said that Germany would raise the current cap on the number of visas issued yearly from 20,000 to 90,000. A fourfold increase in permits reflects the growing cooperation between the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed the 18th Asia Pacific Conference of German Business in the presence of Scholz, said, “We have made a roadmap of Viksit Bharat in the coming 25 years. I am happy that in this important time, the German cabinet has released the ‘Focus on India’ document….Germany has decided to increase the visa number for the skilled Indian workforce from 20,000 to 90,000. It will give a new pace to Germany’s growth.”
Scholz, similarly, said, “I am confident this will give a new momentum to Germany’s growth. When India’s dynamics and Germany’s precision meet, when Germany’s engineering and India’s innovation meet… a better future is decided for the Indo-Pacific and the entire world.”
Berlin has also pledged to make its visa application process less bureaucratic and to improve the recognition of Indian professional qualifications in Germany.
Germany seeks Indian workers to fulfill labour shortages
Germany is currently witnessing a labour shortage due to an ageing population and a lack of qualified workers.
To mitigate the crisis it is banking on Indian professionals to enter its job force. “One million new people enter the labour market in India every month,” German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil said earlier this month.
Key German sectors like healthcare, IT and engineering are the ones that are actively seeking Indian workers.
How many Indians currently live in Germany?
As per the Ministry of External Affairs, 2,08,000 non-resident Indians live in Germany.
With inputs from agencies
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Modi-Scholz meet: Germany hikes visa quota to 90,000 a year for skilled Indians
