Germany Increases Annual Visa Quota Of Skilled Indians Upto 90,000

Germany has decided to significantly increase the number of visas issued to skilled Indian professionals. The country has raised the annual cap of visas to skilled Indians from 20,000 to 90,000.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address at the 18th Asia Pacific Conference of German Business on Friday.

"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," Modi said.

Germany's new visa policy underscores the country’s increasing interest in accessing India’s skilled workforce. It is said with the cap expanding from 20,000 to 90,000 visas annually, Indian professionals in diverse sectors such as Information Technology, engineering, healthcare, and more will gain enhanced opportunities to work in Germany.

Germany’s decision to raise the visa quota is viewed as part of a broader initiative to strengthen economic and technological collaboration between India and Germany.

Indians have long been recognised for their expertise in critical fields such as technology, medicine, and engineering, which are vital to Germany's high-tech industries.

This move is anticipated to enrich Germany's workforce with highly qualified professionals, bolstering economic growth and helping to address skilled labour shortages.

Germany is currently experiencing a demographic shift due to an ageing population, resulting in growing labour shortages across various sectors. By increasing visa limits for skilled workers from India, Germany seeks to address this gap and ensure its industries continue to thrive despite domestic challenges.

India, Germany ties strong anchor in times of conflict, uncertainty: PM Modi

Meanwhile, PM Modi on Friday said the strategic partnership between India and Germany has emerged as a strong anchor at a time when the world is faced with tensions, conflicts and uncertainty.

Participating in the Seventh Inter-Governmental Consultations with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Modi said India-Germany ties were a transformational partnership of two capable and strong democracies and not a transactional relationship.

"The world is passing through times of tensions, conflicts and uncertainty. In the Indo-Pacific region, there are serious concerns about the rule of law and freedom of navigation. In times like this, the strategic partnership between India and Germany has emerged as a strong anchor," Modi said.

He recalled that this was Scholz's third visit to India and marked the "triple celebration" of the friendship between India and Germany.

"In the last IGC in Berlin in 2022, we took important decisions for our bilateral cooperation. In two years, there has been encouraging progress in various sectors of our strategic relations. There has been increasing cooperation in areas such as defence, technology, energy, green and sustainable development that have become symbols of mutual trust," Modi said.

The prime minister also welcomed the ‘Focus on India’ strategy announced by Germany.

"I am delighted that to expand and elevate our partnership, we are taking several new and important initiatives and moving from the ‘Whole of Government’ to the Whole of Nation approach," Modi said.

The IGC framework was launched in 2011 and allows for a comprehensive review of cooperation and identification of new areas of engagement between the two countries across various sectors.

(With PTI inputs)