Indians lead the race for German IT "Green Cards"

Indians lead the race for German IT "Green Cards"
Reuters

Berlin, July 15: German Economics Minister Werner Mueller said on Saturday that Indians and Pakistanis were leading a queue of 15,000 applicants for "Green Cards" aiming to plug an information technology skills gap with foreign experts.

South Asians had applied in force, Mueller told N-TVtelevision, with 2,600 Indians and 2,000 Pakistanis already registered. Germany is offering up to 20,000 non-European Union foreigners, including many from Eastern Europe, work permits allowing them to take jobs in a booming IT sector.

The scheme, which will take effect from next month, wasapproved by Germany's upper house on Friday, but has caused controversy in a country where unemployment remains persistently close to 10 percent of the workforce.

The new law, attacked by Opposition conservatives for takingjobs from Germans, was radically watered down to ensure its passage through the Opposition-dominated Bundesrat upper house.

Under the measure, Germany will invite IT "guest workers"for up to five years. The experts must have a university qualification or prove they will be paid a minimum income of 100,000 marks ($48,000) per year to qualify for a visa.