Lawyer's perspective: Why skilled worker migration from India is successful

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's recent trip to India has once again made it clear: India is no longer just an option for the German labor market, but a necessity. Even if the Chancellor's choice of words regarding "resources" may sound legally and personally detached, it describes an economic reality that we at VISAGUARD experience firsthand in our daily practice.

The increase is impressive: Within just five years (2020–2025), the number of Indian skilled workers in Germany more than doubled, from around 64,000 to over 161,500 . But why does migration from India work so much better than from other regions?

Qualifications meet need

Statistically speaking, Indian professionals are the "winners" on the German job market. As lawyers, we primarily see highly qualified profiles in our visa consultations: data scientists, software developers, and engineers. This is also reflected in their salaries – full-time Indian employees are, on average, among the highest-paid foreign workers. The legal framework, especially the EU Blue Card , is ideally suited to this target group. The high qualifications from Indian IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) are generally recognized without difficulty , which speeds up the process. The quality of Indian educational institutions is therefore a decisive advantage compared to migration from Africa or Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines.

The decisive location advantage: The performance of the embassies

From a legal perspective, a key reason for the success of Indian migration lies in the local administrative infrastructure. Those recruiting skilled workers from Asia often encounter massive bureaucratic hurdles. However, a direct comparison reveals a clear disparity:

• India vs. Pakistan & Bangladesh: While visa procedures in Islamabad or Dhaka are often characterized by months-long waiting times for appointments and an extremely restrictive examination practice, the German foreign missions in India (New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Calcutta) work comparatively efficiently.

• Digitalization and processes: In recent years, Indian embassies have significantly expanded their capacities and professionalized their collaboration with external service providers such as VFS Global . For us as lawyers, this means that appointments in India are predictable, and decision-making processes are more transparent than in almost any other neighboring country. VFS Global operates considerably more efficiently in this respect (at least in India) than other appointment scheduling providers.

This leads to German companies preferring India – not only because of the talent, but also because of the legal certainty and speed of the visa process.

Work ethic and integration

Chancellor Merz emphasized the "impressive work ethic" in Bangalore. We often see a high degree of initiative in the consultations. Indian Skilled workers typically arrive with excellent English skills and a high degree of adaptability. However, we mustn't ignore the downsides. While the highly qualified elite thrives, there are also the system's "losers"—young people working in precarious conditions, for example, in delivery services . Here, legislators must ensure compliance with standards so that skilled worker migration remains a successful model.

Conclusion: India as a blueprint

India demonstrates how managed migration can work when qualifications meet a functioning consular administration. The efficiency of its embassies should serve as a model for other regions. If we want to reduce the backlog in countries like Pakistan or Bangladesh, we must raise their administrative processes to the level of those in India.