India and the European Union (EU) have announced a historic free-trade agreement (FTA), dubbed the “mother of all deals” by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The EU President announced that they are launching the first EU legal gateway office in India. It will be a one-stop hub to support Indian talent moving to Europe. The EU legal gateway office in India will assist Indian workers in securing employment opportunities in European countries.
“The agreement establishes two benefits for India because it improves workforce mobility while providing European economies with access to Indian professionals who have specialized skills needed for their €18 trillion market,” says Sanjay Laul, Founder of MSM Unify.
EU Legal Gateway Office in India
The EU legal gateway office in India will act as a one-stop hub to provide information and support the movement of workers, starting with the Information and Communication Technology, popularly called the ICT sector.
The EU has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing collaboration on safe, regular, and orderly migration, including through circular pathways, for highly skilled workers, students, researchers, and seasonal workers in shortage occupations.
At the end of 2024, a total of 931,607 Indian citizens resided in the EU, the largest group (20.8%) for Blue Card holders (16,268 in 2024). An EU Blue Card allows highly-qualified workers from outside the EU the right to live and work in an EU Member State, provided they meet qualifications and salary requirements. The EU Blue Card applies in 25 of the 27 EU Member States. It does not apply in Denmark and Ireland.
To deepen educational and academic collaboration, the two sides agreed to launch the Education and Skills Dialogue in 2026 to promote skills development, facilitate recognition of qualifications and learning periods abroad, and support systemic collaboration in higher and vocational education.
“The European Union has effectively removed numerical ceilings that previously constrained academic and professional mobility for Indian learners and researchers is a move that will deepen people-to-people ties and expand global opportunities,” adds Laul.
Indian students have been among the top recipients of the Erasmus Mundus scholarships. In the last 20 years, over 6,000 scholarships have been awarded to Indian students for studying and working at leading institutions across Europe.
The India-EU agreement may help Indians to work in any of the EU countries. For example, under the EU-Switzerland agreement on the free movement of persons, Swiss nationals are free to live and work in the EU. As a non-EU national, you may have the right to work in the EU and to be treated equally with EU nationals in work conditions. These rights depend on your nationality or on your status as a family member of EU nationals.
Studying in Europe
Currently, there are various popular countries for overseas students to study. Study in Europe is a European Union (EU) project, which aims to help international students to find out about higher education study, research and scholarship opportunities in Europe.
“The European FTA is nothing short of a landmark deal for India, enabling exponential growth across IT/ITeS exports, higher education, and global mobility. Germany, France, and Italy, three of our leading study-abroad destinations with steady YoY demand, will continue to drive higher career aspirations and wider talent integration,” says Praneet Singh, AVP – University Partnerships, upGrad Study Abroad.
The average length for degree programmes in Europe is 3 years for Bachelor’s degree programmes, 2 years for Master’s degree programme and for Doctorate/PhD it is 3 years.
Each European country has adopted different regulations to allow students to stay on after their studies to look for a job. However, the European Union has requested that international students can stay at least 9 months to look for a suitable work opportunity. There are a lot of scholarships and funding schemes available across Europe, e.g. the Erasmus+ programme or scholarships proposed by each country.
Each country, even each higher education institution, decides on its admission requirements. It is better to contact the International Office of your selected higher education institution in Europe to ask for detailed information on its specific requirements regarding English language certificates, such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).