Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : EU plans New Delhi office to ease visa access for Indian IT specialists and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
The EU will open an office in New Delhi to issue Schengen visas for Indian information and communications technology (ICT) specialists wanting to work in Europe, the European Commission’s Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen said on Thursday.
The office, to be called the European Legal Gateway Office, is a “first of its kind in a partner country”, Virkkunen wrote on social media during a visit to India for the AI Summit.
The announcement comes as India and the EU negotiate a trade agreement aimed at countering global tariffs imposed by the US. It also follows repeated Commission reports identifying a shortage of digital specialists as a serious challenge undermining the EU’s digitalisation push.
The EU is committed to “building a trusted talent corridor,” Virkkunen wrote. The office will support mobility of “Indian students, researchers and professionals in the ICT sector”, a press release by the EU delegation to India informs.
Increasingly restrictive visa policies in the US have become a source of intense controversy over recent weeks, pitting those seeking to curb migration against Big Tech companies that support it.
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