Germany Shortens Visa Processing Time for Indian Skilled Workers

Germany has significantly reduced the time it takes to process long-term visas for skilled workers from India. According to a report by Schengen News, the waiting period has been cut from nine months to just two weeks.

Need for Skilled Workers

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that the country is in urgent need of skilled workers. She explained that the Federal Agency for Foreign Affairs, one of the largest visa offices globally, has managed to shorten the visa processing time for Indian applicants in Delhi from nine months to two weeks.

Job Vacancies and Economic Impact

In 2023, Germany faced around 570,000 job vacancies, according to the German Economic Institute (IW). The lengthy visa process has also delayed the arrival of individuals invited for training and conferences. Indian companies investing in Germany need quick visa processing to bring their experts into the country.

The IW estimated that by 2027, the loss in production from unfilled jobs could reach €74 billion. From January to June 2024, Germany issued 80,000 employment-related visas, with skilled workers receiving half of these. This marks a rise of 3,000 skilled worker visas compared to the same time last year in 2023.

Visa Acceleration Plan

The German Foreign Ministry launched a 'Visa Acceleration Action Plan' in 2023 to address these issues. However, the IW has expressed concerns that this plan might not be effective and could lead to an economic loss of €49 billion.

India-Germany Relations Strengthen

Diplomatic Visits

On August 14, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with German MPs Jurgen Hardt and Ralph Brinkhaus in Delhi. Jaishankar praised their ongoing support for strengthening ties between India and Germany and discussed regional developments.

Joint Military Exercise

On August 13, German Ambassador Phillip Ackerman observed the ‘Tarang Shakti’ joint military exercise in Tamil Nadu. This marked the first time the German Air Force participated in exercises with the Indian Air Force.

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Conference on Sustainability

On August 12, the German Embassy in India and Fraunhofer hosted a conference in New Delhi titled ‘Sustainability: The Technology Imperative for Our Future: German Innovations in India’. This event highlighted German innovations and their impact on sustainability in India.