Viral Video: What happens when a top tech expert is hired but can't join because of visa delays? That’s exactly what happened when GetYourGuide appointed Indian engineer Gaurav Agarwal as its CTO. Despite having worked at big names like Meta and Netflix, where he led major growth initiatives, Agarwal had to wait six months just to get his German visa approved. Even with a strong resume and a high salary, the process wasn’t smooth.

GetYourGuide CEO Johannes Reck shared this story during a podcast, pointing out how hard it is to bring skilled workers to Germany. “We hired a CTO from Netflix, Gaurav Agarwal, last year,” Reck said. “Amazing guy… Very successful – he was at Meta before. Tremendous resume. He’s Indian.”

Reck explained that Agarwal had to apply through the German consulate in San Francisco, which only offers appointments twice a week, and they were fully booked for months. “For him to get a visa to come to Germany after he had signed a job contract – this guy makes a lot of money – took him 6 months,” he said. The CEO had to step in personally. “I literally had to call up the foreign office in Germany to get him an appointment in San Francisco so he could bring his paperwork, so that he could get the visa and migrate to Germany,” Reck shared. “If you make it that hard, it’s no wonder we don’t have a tech ecosystem in Europe,” he added.

ALSO READ: Desi Labubu Bhabhi Avatar Takes Internet By Storm; Netizens Can’t Handle The Hilarious Twist

Watch The Viral Video:

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 20VC (@20vchq)

The now-viral video was shared on Instagram under the username '20vchq.' The video shared a few hours ago pulled 351k views and significant likes and comments from social media users. Netizens were quick to flood the comment section with their thoughts.

"I talked to Gaurav at the GYG office in Berlin for a job interview. He is a smart and cool guy," a user wrote. "I am an Indian origin marketing executive working for a British company. My probation was for 3 months. They liked my work and confirmed me 2 and increased my salary. Sadly, now, the British work visa is so inaccessible to working individuals that it is almost impossible for them to even think about work sponsoring me," a second user shared his experience.

ALSO READ: Lawyer Accidentally Calls Judge ‘Honey’ In Courtroom, Internet Can’t Stop Reacting

"Germany is inviting illegal immigrants without appointments and their whole family. An illegal immigrant gets more benefits than a software developer in Germany, lived 3.5 years there," added a third user. "That is one of the reasons why the companies I applied to hesitated to offer jobs, because of this extended process of securing a work visa. In spite of being and living in Germany, it was that difficult to do that," a fourth user wrote.