Capturing Talent: Reflections on GenEI’s Webinar on EU–India Migration
02 October 2025 | Online
Generation EU–India (GenEI), in collaboration with FNF South Asia, hosted a timely webinar Capturing Talent: The EU’s Race for Indian Skills. The event brought together policy experts and practitioners to examine how Germany has navigated its evolving migration relationship with India.
The webinar opened with remarks by Avtansh Behal, Head of Communications at GenEI, who spoke candidly about his own journey as a student in Europe. He reflected on the challenges of navigating a new environment, from difficulties with language to the absence of a truly welcoming culture, and the lack of structured support for students entering the job market. These personal insights set the tone for the discussion, reminding participants that migration is not only about policy frameworks but also about the everyday experiences of young people building their lives across borders.
Setting the Stage: Germany’s Migration Experience
The panel, moderated by Manisha Bieber (Board Member, GenEI), began with Dr. David Kipp (SWP), who offered a broad assessment of Germany’s migration experience with India. Kipp noted that, overall, the story has been a positive one, particularly since the introduction of the Blue Card regime. This policy significantly increased both student and labour migration from India, ensuring a steady inflow of highly qualified professionals to German companies.
He pointed to shifts in recent years, with more Indians arriving under student, trainee, and opportunity cards. While these pathways have diversified inflows, their actual efficacy remains uncertain. Kipp recalled the 2018 negotiations between India and Germany, where India successfully pushed for expanded legal migration channels, underscoring the importance of cooperative diplomacy.
At the same time, he highlighted persistent challenges—especially around ensuring fair recruitment. Oversight of private recruiters remains limited, raising risks of malpractice. Kipp stressed that India would need to expand its supervisory capacity, while both countries must also grapple with the realities of federalism: local-level policies in both India and Germany can enable innovative collaborations, but also complicate efforts, for example, by requiring preparation of arrivals in multiple languages or adjusting to regional cultural contexts.
The Gap Between Messaging and Reality
Picking up the thread, Denise Eichhorn (Indo-German Chamber of Commerce) reflected on the disconnect between German policy messaging and the lived reality for migrants. While German authorities portray the country as open and welcoming, in practice the environment is often less accessible. Language instruction is limited, often unaffordable, and corporate reluctance persists. Companies hesitate to hire Indians due to concerns about relocation and assimilation.
Eichhorn also pointed to gaps in information. Many prospective migrants in India rely on outdated notions of IT and nursing as Germany’s key shortage sectors, which has led to an oversupply in certain areas. Meanwhile, bad-faith recruiters exploit these information asymmetries, to the detriment of both workers and employers.
The recent rise in student and trainee migration, she suggested, owes more to shifts in Germany’s labour market than to policy design. With a sputtering economy and an urgent need for workers, demand is high but whether job search visas truly benefit Indian arrivals remains unclear.
Audience Q&A: Fairness, Diaspora, and Integration
The interactive Q&A broadened the discussion. One question probed whether the EU could agree on a common definition of fair migration. Both panellists underscored the difficulty of forging consensus across member states, each with distinct economic contexts and political sensitivities.
Another exchange centred on the role of the Indian diaspora. Eichhorn stressed that the diaspora is not only critical for welcoming and settling new arrivals, but also well-positioned to foster entrepreneurship. She argued that Indian entrepreneurs in Germany often show a higher tolerance for risk compared to their German counterparts, helping to generate new jobs and create a virtuous cycle of integration.
The conversation also touched on the challenges of Indian arrivals working in the gig economy. Eichhorn emphasised that this outcome is neither desirable for students nor universities, as it undermines skill-building. The problem, she suggested, reflects wider stereotypes and the need for both societies to develop a more proactive welcoming culture.
Kipp added that Germany’s migration debate still lacks the deep historical grounding of countries like the U.S., which complicates integration efforts. Public discourse can easily turn toxic, making it essential to strengthen institutions to support new arrivals and protect them from exclusion.
Conclusion: Top-Down or Bottom-Up?
The webinar closed on a reflective note. A key takeaway was the tension between top-down frameworks and bottom-up initiatives. While comprehensive national and EU-level strategies may prove more sustainable in the long term, it is bottom-up experimentation—local cooperation, diaspora engagement, community support—that currently delivers visible wins and builds trust.
The discussion made clear that migration between India and Europe cannot be understood through numbers alone. It is about people navigating systems, cultures, and opportunities. Ensuring that those journeys are fair, transparent, and dignified will require not only stronger policy design, but also a willingness to learn from lived realities on both sides.
Generation EU-India 