A total of 300 German companies operating in China have raised concerns about the slow process of issuing visas for Chinese employees in a letter directed to the Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerkobock.
The German Chambers of Commerce in China (AHK) has pointed out that due to these delays they are struggling to bring their Chinese employees to Germany, Schengen.News reports.
It was also noted that processing time has become incredibly long, especially in the Shanghai area, where two-thirds of these companies are located.
Success in China is highly crucial for the overall success of companies. This year, in particular, our surveys show that German companies in China are under particular competitive pressure with local companies.
Shanghai Processing Time Reaches Up to 3 Months
In the Shanghai metropolitan area, visa processing time has reached up to three months as there is no streamlined visa process.
In addition, as Manager Magazine explains, the appointments are posted at non-regular times, which causes them to be booked in a matter of minutes. It is very important for German companies to bring employees to the country.
That is why we are concerned that there are still difficulties in providing Chinese employees of German companies with visas for Germany in a timely manner.
The Consulate General in Shanghai has been offered extra staff, and procedures have been made more efficient in an effort to keep waiting times short.
Germany Is the 2nd-Most Popular Destination for Chinese Applicants
According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo, Germany is the second country to receive most visa applications from China, a total of 160,479. France holds the first position with 271,111 visa requests.
In addition, the approval rate for Chinese applicants is one of the highest among all other nationalities. In 2023, the Chinese have been granted 155,950 visas, resulting in 97.2 per cent of all visa applications being approved.
Estonia (603), Latvia (812) and Slovakia (895) receive fewer applications from Chinese than other countries. On the other hand, countries with the lowest approval rates for Chinese applicants are Slovenia (78.8 per cent), Malta (83.4 per cent) and Poland (85.4 per cent).
In total, Chinese applicants filed 1.1 million visa applications, with a little over one million being approved and 60,554 being rejected. The approval rates for Chinese applicants have reached an average of 93.36 per cent.