Georgian migration reforms to allow reviewing asylum cases without granting entry

The Georgian Migration Department has been granted new authority to review asylum applications from foreign nationals and stateless persons without granting them entry into the country.

The measure comes under a new procedure issued by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media. 

It applies to individuals deemed by security services to pose a threat to national or public security, or who were previously expelled from Georgia for similar reasons.

Under the new rules, asylum requests will be processed directly at the border, with the Migration Department required to decide within seven days — either approving, rejecting, or accepting the application for further consideration.

If an application is approved, the individual will receive a short-term visa valid for 30 days. While awaiting a decision, applicants will be accommodated in temporary facilities, with men, women, and minors housed separately, except for members of the same family.

Georgia's net migration rates in 2022 were over 54,000 following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, while in 2024 they made up almost 15,000, according to information provided by its statistics office. Out of those, the majority were from Ukraine (94.27%), followed by Syria (1.86%), Iraq (1.57%), and Russia (0.92%). Since February 2022, more than 160,000 Ukrainians have entered Georgia, which serves as both a transit and destination country.

Georgian law formally recognises refugee and asylum-seeker status, and the government maintains a system to provide protection. However, refugees face challenges accessing education due to significant language barriers, despite government-provided Georgian language classes. Asylum seekers also do not receive financial support, and government-run reception centres cater to only about 10% of the asylum-seeker population.

Additionally, in 2022, Georgia registered 291,358 internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the 1992-1993 and 2008 conflicts. This figure includes those who returned to the Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as individuals displaced by the 2008 conflict who were subsequently relocated or provided with housing.

By Nazrin Sadigova