Is it impossible to get to Georgia?

Georgia has undergone new and rigorous laws, including lifelong expulsion and restriction of asylum, with the aim of inhibiting foreign immigration and influence. These developments are in the midst of the unprecedented increase in immigrants, especially the Russians and the increasing security and social concerns.

On April 30, the Georgian Parliament completed a 200 -page legal package called "International Support" aimed at combating illegal immigration to Georgia and preventing the abuse of asylum.

The Georgian Ministry of Interior has made these legal changes and is expected to be approved by the Georgian Parliament in late May. The ruling Dream Party of Georgia is trying to limit the involvement of foreign citizens in the political life of the country while restricting the high level of illegal immigrants in Georgia.

Based on legal developments, a new punishment, including the expulsion of a foreign national from Georgia and a ban on entering the country for the rest of her life, will be added to the penal and administrative violations law.

In addition, a provision is included in the administrative law to expel foreign nationals from Georgia in cases of minor thugs, sabotage, disobedience from the police, verbal insult to an official, and violates the laws and demonstrations, which include a ban on entry for up to three years.
 

External influence clash: from the arrest of US lawyers to preventing the arrival of Westerners

Over the past year, the Georgian government has observed the presence of more citizens of foreign countries, including Georgian Georgian citizenship, in widespread daily anti -government protests, which has sparked outrageous anger of the "Georgian Dream" government and led it to intensify immigration laws.

For example, in 2024, in protest against Russian -style "foreign agents" law, Georgian police beat and arrested an American lawyer named Ted Jonas who lived in Georgia.

Recently, Westerners' prohibition has increased. In late April, the Georgian border police did not allow Victor Patrashkan, a Romanian stand -up comedian, known for its anti -Russian sentiments and intended to hold several plays in Georgia.

This comedian lies to the prohibition on pro -Russian policies of Georgia's "Dream of Georgia". In April, two French journalists who previously covered anti -government and pro -European protests in Georgia were also banned from entering the country.

In March, Lithuanian human rights activist Regusa Yaguva-Asscurova, who lived with his family in Georgia for 15 years, was not allowed to enter the country. In April, Nikolai Kassian, a Russian opposition activist and former candidate for Moscow Municipality, was also banned from entering Georgia.
 

Changes in the asylum process; More strictness at the borders

The Georgian government has also decided to change the procedures and conditions of asylum to foreign citizens through new laws. If the arrival of a foreign citizen threatens the security of the country, asylum application will be reviewed directly at the government border without the permission of foreign nationals to enter Georgia. The deadlines for reviewing and revising decisions on asylum cases have also declined significantly.

The dramatic increase in immigrants during the "Dream of Georgia"; Statistics and concerns

Since the emergence of Georgia's dream in 2012, the influx of foreign citizens to Georgia, including illegal immigrants, has increased dramatically. In a small country like Georgia with a population of only 3.7 million, the fact that about 272,000 foreign citizens has remained in the country since 2012. There is no statistics for these figures before 2012.

Georgia's Deputy Minister of Interior Alexander Darakolidze acknowledges that the country lacks an integrated system for illegal immigrant registration. However, according to his approximate estimates, today there are between 20,000 and 25,000 illegal immigrants in the country.
 

Government justifications and statistics of fired

Georgia's Dream justifies the intensification of immigration policy with the relevant European Parliament and the European Council's guidelines. The Georgian government has information about the presence of thousands of illegal immigrants in the country, but according to the Ministry of Interior, in the first quarter of 2025, only 219 foreign nationals were fired from Georgia, including Iranians, India, Turkey, China, Russia, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Lebanon Nepal, Tajikistan, Lithuania and Kyrgyzstan.

At the same time, it is assumed that some of these fired were not illegal at all and were expelled from the country for various reasons.

Foreign Students in Georgia: Economic Opportunity or Social Tension?

During the reign of Georgia, the number of foreign students in Georgia has increased sharply. However, as some local experts point out, many underdeveloped economic countries come to Georgia under the pretext of studying to legalize their residence.

There are more than 187,000 students in Georgia's higher education institutions and one out of every five students. Of 37,125 foreign students, 20,319 are Indian citizens. Many foreign students are citizens of Jordan, Sudan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Egypt, Azerbaijan and so on.

During their studies, they often work as a courier, a taxi driver and in the service sector. For this reason, social tensions in the country are increasing because foreigners are thought to take local jobs.

Peaks, taxi drivers and local Georgian tour guides have already held several demonstrations to protect their work rights and the local labor market against foreigners who do not even know Georgian language and do not comply with local laws.
 

Criticism of the former president and the rise of the Russian -speaking population

Even former Georgian President Salome Zorabishvili has expressed dissatisfaction with the situation of immigrants in the country.

He wrote on Facebook: "When I get a taxi, I encounter a driver who knows neither the language nor the city, and no one even wants a certificate driver. In the case of tour guides, this is completely in the hands of the Russians and other nationalities. "The Russians in Georgia feel like they are in their home."

During the reign of Georgia, the Russian -speaking population in Georgia has grown sharply.

According to the Georgian NGO, the Institute for Information Development (IDFI), from 2022 to 2024, after the start of the Russian -Ukrainian war, 71,600 Russian citizens, 21,200 Ukrainian citizens, 11,400 Belarusian citizens, 9,000 Indian citizens, 6,000 Turkish citizens and 5,800 citizens.
 

The wave of Russian presence in Georgia; Citizenship and security warnings

More worrying and threatening to Georgia's national security is the fact that the Russians not only choose Georgia for life, but are also eager to receive Georgian citizenship.

This gives them the right to vote in the elections and influence the country's political life. The Russian Federation is ranked first in the list of countries whose citizens have received Georgian citizenship over the past 10 years.

According to the Georgian National Statistics Bureau, during the reign of the Georgian Dream Party from 2015 to 2024, 24,866 Russian citizens received Georgian citizenship. Only in 2024, 2,361 Russian citizens were awarded Georgian citizenship. Overall, 3,587 people have received Georgian citizenship over the past year.
 

Visa contradictory policies; From facilitating some to toughness for others

Citizens of approximately 100 countries can visit Georgia for different visa periods, which is partly due to Georgia's interest in attracting more foreign tourists.

In addition, citizens of 17 Asian and African countries can visit Georgia with a visa or residence permit. Among the 17 countries, there are countries involved in civil wars such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, Congo, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan.

Syria's presence on the list of these countries is especially confusing, a country that recognized the independence of the two occupied Georgian regions, Abkhazia and the Taskhinavali (South Ossetia) during the reign of former Syrian President Bashar al -Assad. It is noteworthy that despite the change in the pro -Russian system in Syria, Damascus has not yet rejected this recognition.