Germany ups visas for skilled Indian workers 4.5x to 90k

NEW DELHI: Germany has decided to increase the number of visas for skilled Indians from 20,000 to 90,000 per year, PM Narendra Modi announced Friday.

“I am confident that this will further boost Germany’s economic growth,” he said, speaking at the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business.

Participating in the conference along with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Modi said Germany’s holistic approach and commitment to pursuing the strategic partnership are clearly evident. “Especially noteworthy is the trust that Germany has expressed in the skilled workforce of India,” he said.

“This is the right time to join India’s growth story... India becoming a global trade and manufacturing hub,” Modi said, adding that today, India stands on strong pillars of democracy, demography, demand and data.

Germany is facing an acute shortage of skilled professionals and is looking at the talent pool in India to make up for the shortfall.

India also raised the case of Ariha Shah, a three-year-old Indian girl who has been in foster care in Germany, during the meeting between Modi and Scholz. Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said at a media briefing that the chancellor has assured the PM that he is “very closely following” the issue.

The girl has been in foster care in Germany for more than 36 months following allegations of minor physical abuse. Her parents, Bhavesh and Dhara Shah, are residents of Mira Bhayander in Maharashtra’s Thane district.

“The case has been followed very, very closely by us.... Our embassy in Berlin has taken it up. When the external affairs minister was in Germany a few weeks ago, he had raised it very strongly with his counterpart,” Misri said.

“Yes, I can confirm that it was raised during Friday’s meeting as well. We have at all levels impressed upon the German side that an Indian child growing up in an environment that is not hers -- cultural, religious, linguistic environment -- is somewhat unnatural and that this situation needs to be addressed,” he added.

The foreign secretary said Scholz assured Modi that “he is very closely following this issue and continues to pay close attention to it”, adding, “I am sure that both sides will remain in touch on this issue through various channels.”