Indian Doctors Forced to Leave Bulgaria After Failing to Obtain Work Visas

Two Indian doctors working at Pernik hospital in Bulgaria will have to leave the country due to visa issues.

The news was announced by Emil Nenkov, the director of the medical facility, who confirmed that the two Indian nationals did not have work visas, which are a mandatory requirement for foreigners to carry on with their activity in the Schengen Area, Schengen.News reports.

Nenkov told Bulgarian media that an inspection completed by the Bulgarian migration authorities revealed that the medics had applied for a student visa but not for a work one.

Indian Medics Have Until End of March to Voluntarily Leave Bulgaria
Nenkov, who serves as the Director of the Rahila Angelova Multi-profile Hospital for Active Treatment in Pernik, revealed that the two medics had graduated from the Medical University in Pleven.

The two medics must voluntarily leave the country by the end of March, but as Nenkov pointed out, the health institution has already taken necessary steps to return the Indian doctors to Bulgaria and make their stay in the country legal.

The number of Indian medical workers is likely to increase as countries like France, Finland, Italy, Germany and Ireland are expecting a record number of students.

EU Countries Increasingly Welcoming Indian Workers & Students
Indian nationals are opting for EU countries, especially after the UK, the US and Canada – the top three destinations for this nationality group started adopting anti-immigration measures.

On the other hand, EU countries are indeed trying to put their net migration numbers under control, but the labour shortages persist and India is a top source for migrant workers, especially in the IT and healthcare sectors.

According to the German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, Germany will grant 90,000 visas to skilled migrants from India, instead of the current 20,000. These visas will be issued to skilled workers, especially those from the information technology, nursing and caregiving sectors, as these are the main fields where Germany is experiencing a labour shortage.

Among the measures that Germany has taken to attract Indian skilled workers include the serious work in visa processing, which was decreased from nine months to two weeks.

In addition, Germany lifted its language skills requirement for skilled workers, in addition to lowering the salary threshold and the requirement for having completed education. These measures can help Germany meet its market requirements, as 570,000 job vacancies remain unfilled in the country.

Source: https://schengen.news/indian-doctors-forced-to-leave-bulgaria-after-failing-to-obtain-work-visas/