Nursing specialists from India

The immigration of skilled workers from third countries has increased significantly since 2021. In addition, more and more international skilled workers are coming from India – especially highly qualified young professionals in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). It is therefore hardly surprising that Indian skilled workers are among the highest-earning immigrants in Germany.

However, the healthcare sector, too, is seeing an increase in the immigration of Indian nursing professionals. A declaration of intent signed with India, including a Global Skills Partnership, aims at unlocking the full potential.

For one thing, the declaration of intent aims to ensure that international standards are met when recruiting skilled workers from India, as specified, for example, by the ‘Faire Anwerbung Pflege Deutschland’, a seal of approval for fair recruitment. Accordingly, the recruitment of foreign skilled workers must be sustainable, transparent and free of charge for the candidates.

India and Germany have also agreed on the so-called Global Skills Partnerships (GSP).

The aim of the GSP is to establish training in the nursing staff’s countries of origin that meets both the national requirements there and German standards for nursing professionals. This is achieved through cooperation between a German university hospital or nursing facility and a foreign educational institution, which jointly adapt the teaching programme. The training also includes German language lessons up to B2 level and intercultural training to prepare nursing staff for living and working in Germany.

This programme also stipulates that no already trained nursing staff may be lured away. Rather, the aim is to expand training capacities in the partner countries in order to attract more skilled workers to the healthcare system. The partner countries benefit above all from the transfer of knowledge: the expansion of the training plan to include German content ensures that the quality of nursing care in the partner countries improves, particularly in the area of outpatient and inpatient long-term nursing for people in need of care.

Germany benefits equally from this programme: lengthy recognition procedures for international skilled workers are to be eliminated, making them faster and less cost intensive.

The immigration of skilled workers from India offers huge potential for Germany. The figures show that Indian immigrants are highly qualified young professionals of working age who can greatly enrich the German labour market – not only in STEM professions, but also in the healthcare sector.

The letter of intent signed between India and Germany has the potential to simplify and accelerate the immigration of Indian skilled workers. This gives Germany an advantage over other countries, especially English-speaking ones. Learning German at an early stage gives applicants security and facilitates their integration in Germany.

In addition, a faster recognition process offers another advantage for Germany. This allows Indian nursing professionals to work in their chosen profession quickly after their arrival and not fall unnecessarily behind their potential. In nursing professions, international skilled workers often have to catch up on qualification measures and are only allowed to work as nursing assistants during this time. Rapid recognition also contributes to better integration and higher levels of satisfaction.

As India also benefits from the adapted learning content, can improve the quality of care and is likely to train more nursing staff, the GSP is a win-win situation for both countries.