Georgian PM claims progress on migration management, residency permits

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday provided an update on migration and residency statistics during an interpelling session in Parliament, highlighting recent measures to combat illegal migration and improve data management.

The official stressed approximately 20,000 individuals were currently residing in Georgia illegally, though ongoing enforcement efforts aimed to clarify the exact numbers. The Prime Minister noted that while the overall figures may not change significantly, it was critical to update migration databases and strengthen efforts against illegal migration.

Kobakhidze highlighted several legislative reforms enacted in recent months, including amendments to the Law on Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, the Criminal Code, and the Code of Administrative Offenses. These reforms, he said, have strengthened immigration control measures and facilitated stricter enforcement.

Over the past year, Georgia expelled more illegal migrants than in the previous decade combined, the PM claimed. Under the current strategy for 2026, authorities aim to expel roughly 4,000 individuals, representing about 20% of illegal residents, with the target considered realistic given recent reforms within the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ migration department.

The expelled population included citizens from various countries, with 20.5% from India, 12.9% from Turkey, 12% from Iran, 7.5% from China, and 5.6% from Russia.

The Prime Minister also addressed recent controversies surrounding short-term residency permits, often linked in public discourse to the UAE Eagle Hills investment project. Currently, 4,827 individuals hold short-term residency, granted for acquiring property worth at least $150,000 (up from the previous $100,000 threshold), he noted.

He further said other categories of residence permits included:

• Special residence permits: 1,952 individuals, including potential trafficking victims.
  
  

• Investment permits: 1,347 individuals (minimum $300,000 investment or property ownership).
  
  

• Permanent investment permits: 646 individuals.
  
  

• IT permits: 92 individuals, although many foreign IT professionals hold standard work permits.
  
  

• Permanent residence: 14 individuals.
  
  

• Temporary residence: 4 individuals.
  
  

Georgia has established a special electronic database for foreign labor migrants, registering 51,448 individuals employed locally, the PM said.  Gender distribution is 74% male and 26% female. Key employment sectors include:

• IT sector: 32%
  
  

• Construction and infrastructure: 3.6%
  
  

• Marketing, sales, logistics: 7.9%
  
  

• Hospitality and tourism: 5.8%
  
  

• Manufacturing: 4.6%
  
  

• Education and sports: 2.1% each
  
  

Top nationalities among labor migrants include Russia (25%), India (13.3%), Turkey (5,600), Belarus (4,930), Turkmenistan (4,000+), Azerbaijan (≈3,000), Ukraine (2,849), China (≈2,000), Kazakhstan (1,891), and Iran (1,277), Kobakhidze said. 

The PM claimed Georgia currently hosted foreign nationals from 164 countries, totaling 107,307 residents with legal permits. When including illegal migrants, the total foreign population may reach 257,000, with over 70% coming from post-Soviet states, the EU, the US, or Israel.

Among residence permit holders:

• Russia: 29.9% (≈32,129 individuals), many of whom are ethnic Georgians or former citizens.
  
  

• India: 23,930 (majority students).
  
  

• Azerbaijan: 6.3% (≈returning former residents).
  
  

• Ukraine: 5.9% (≈6,290 with permits, plus 25,000 without).
  
  

• Armenia: 4.8% (≈5,000 individuals).
  
  

• Belarus: 3,738.
  
  

• Turkey: 3,645.
  
  

• Iran: 3,331.
  
  

• Sudan, China, Jordan, Pakistan, Egypt, USA: smaller shares, largely students or labor migrants.
  
  

Prime Minister Kobakhidze concluded that the residency permit framework and active migration management were central to addressing labor market needs, controlling illegal migration, and maintaining accurate national statistics.