BERLIN - In a significant announcement for aspiring immigrants, the German Foreign Minister revealed that the country was intensifying efforts to streamline visa processes for skilled workers essential to the country's economy.
In this regard, Annalena Baerbock highlighted that waiting times for visas at the German embassy in New Delhi have been drastically reduced to just two weeks, down from nine months previously, attributing this improvement to advancements in digitalization and centralization of visa services.
The German Foreign Ministry has set an ambitious goal to fully digitalize the visa procedure by the end of next year's legislative period.
According to ministry projections, the issuance of national visas would need to increase by 63% to accommodate the influx of approximately 400,000 individuals annually required to sustain stable employment levels in Germany.
As the German Foreign Minister elaborated plans to expedite the process for visa issuance, Katharina Dröge, head of the Greens parliamentary group, proposed a "social pact for a welcome culture," urging collaboration among businesses, employees, and policymakers to foster an inclusive environment for foreign skilled workers.
"We aim to further simplify entry barriers and improve access to the German labor market, advocating for a political discourse that counters prejudicial attitudes," Dröge emphasized in her remarks at a gathering with the foreign minister in attendance.
It is to be highlighted that the government of Germany is easing visa restrictions for foreign workers as labor crisis in one of Europe's strongest economies has worsened; the country needs at least 4 hundred thousand immigrants each year to keep its firms running and maintain exports.
The shortage of skilled individuals has risen to unprecedented levels as statistics reveal and surveys, companies have admitted that they are facing the heat of labor shortage which was also affecting their efficiency.
The government of Germany has recently introduced the opportunity card or Chancenkarte which allows foreign workers to arrive in Germany even without a job offer and search for employment.