Germany Expands Skilled Worker Visas for Indians

Germany is significantly increasing its skilled work visa program for Indian professionals from 20,000 to 90,000 annually, aiming to address labor shortages and reduce reliance on other countries. This decision was made during Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit to India for the seventh round of Inter-Governmental Consultations, which emphasized strengthening bilateral ties in trade, energy, and human capital. Alongside India, Germany is also looking to hire skilled workers from Bangladesh but lacks a formal migration agreement with the country. The move to attract Indian talent comes in response to Germany's demographic challenges and its ambition to fill an anticipated gap of 6 million workers by 2035. German officials have highlighted the potential of this recruitment strategy to serve as a model for partnerships with other nations. However, attracting Indian workers may be challenging due to their preference for English-speaking countries, indicating the need for improvements in Germany's business environment.