German labour minister calls for more skilled nurses from India
Hubertus Heil (SPD) met trained nurses in Thiruvananthapuram, India, as part of an international recruitment effort to bring more skilled workers to Germany.
"I am thrilled that so many young people want to come to Germany as carers. And they have a realistic image of Germany," the Social Democratic (SPD) politician said in Thiruvananthapuram in southern India on Thursday.
Heil met with several trained nurses interested in relocating to Germany at an event at the local Goethe Institute.
"They know what the advantages of our country are," he said, referring to Germany's social system and general quality of life.
READ ALSO: Indians in Germany: Who are they and where do they live?
But the young people Heil met with also expressed concerns about the level of German they need in their profession: foreigners employed as nurses in Germany are first required to pass a B2 language test.
"I'll take [their concerns] with me, but I can't promise anything. The requirement is so high for two reasons," said Heil. "Firstly, to ensure the quality of this special line of work"
Secondly, he said, it is also "important for integration into a society" to speak the language.
Part of an effort to recruit more skilled workers
Heil is visiting India, the world's most populous country with around 1.4 billion inhabitants, partly to make a pitch to workers: Germany's Skilled Labor Immigration Act is expected to come into effect in March 2024, and ease some of the previous requirements for receiving a work visa.
Under a new points based system, visa applicants are also viewed favourably if they speak good English.
In June, Heil visited Brazil to make the same pitch to qualified nurses, a field in which Germany faces a growing shortage. According to the German Hospital Association, there were around 14,000 vacant positions for nursing staff in clinics around Germany in 2021, with an additional 8.000 vacancies in intensive care units.
The recruitment of Brazilian and Indian skilled workers is part of a larger push to issue significantly more visas for foreign workers in the future.
READ ALSO: 8 things to know about Germany's new skilled worker immigration law
Last year, barely 100,000 skilled workers moved from non-EU countries to Germany. "That is not enough," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Heil wrote in a statement.
The government therefore wants to reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for the families of skilled workers to join them. In order to do this, Germany’s Office for Foreign Affairs "will process four times as many visas for skilled workers by the end of 2024 as it does now".
Heil is also in India because of the upcoming G20 summit of labour ministers in Indore in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
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"I am thrilled that so many young people want to come to Germany as carers. And they have a realistic image of Germany," the Social Democratic (SPD) politician said in Thiruvananthapuram in southern India on Thursday.
Heil met with several trained nurses interested in relocating to Germany at an event at the local Goethe Institute.
"They know what the advantages of our country are," he said, referring to Germany's social system and general quality of life.
READ ALSO: Indians in Germany: Who are they and where do they live?
But the young people Heil met with also expressed concerns about the level of German they need in their profession: foreigners employed as nurses in Germany are first required to pass a B2 language test.
"I'll take [their concerns] with me, but I can't promise anything. The requirement is so high for two reasons," said Heil. "Firstly, to ensure the quality of this special line of work"
Secondly, he said, it is also "important for integration into a society" to speak the language.
Part of an effort to recruit more skilled workers
Heil is visiting India, the world's most populous country with around 1.4 billion inhabitants, partly to make a pitch to workers: Germany's Skilled Labor Immigration Act is expected to come into effect in March 2024, and ease some of the previous requirements for receiving a work visa.
Under a new points based system, visa applicants are also viewed favourably if they speak good English.
In June, Heil visited Brazil to make the same pitch to qualified nurses, a field in which Germany faces a growing shortage. According to the German Hospital Association, there were around 14,000 vacant positions for nursing staff in clinics around Germany in 2021, with an additional 8.000 vacancies in intensive care units.
The recruitment of Brazilian and Indian skilled workers is part of a larger push to issue significantly more visas for foreign workers in the future.
READ ALSO: 8 things to know about Germany's new skilled worker immigration law
Last year, barely 100,000 skilled workers moved from non-EU countries to Germany. "That is not enough," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Heil wrote in a statement.
The government therefore wants to reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for the families of skilled workers to join them. In order to do this, Germany’s Office for Foreign Affairs "will process four times as many visas for skilled workers by the end of 2024 as it does now".
Heil is also in India because of the upcoming G20 summit of labour ministers in Indore in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
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