Number of asylum requests by Georgians in Israel reduced

The number of asylum requests by Georgian citizens in Israel has been reduced by 70 percent, Haaretz media reports.

The Immigration Authority of Israel says that the number of asylum requests by Georgians was 1,351 in 2017 and 399 in 2018.

The article published in the media says that the reduction of the number of applications is linked to the decision adopted in 2017, according to which Georgia was declared as a safe country.

Putting on the list enables an accelerated denial of requests without the need to examine them in depth, a procedure usually taking a few weeks.

in 2018, Israel refused entry to 17,000 citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Belarus, countries that have visa waiver agreements with Israel.

“The main reason for refusal stated by the authority is concern that people arriving will not leave the country after the three months permitted for those without visas. Only in a few cases did the rejections stem from security or criminal concerns”, – reads the article.

The Consul of Georgia in Israel, Aleksandre Jishkariani, stated in 2017 that the number of people illegally arriving in Israel from Georgia was also decreased, and accordingly, the rate of refusal to enter Israel has been reduced as well.

The Consul said that the decrease in Georgian migrants was related to the fact that Georgia was put on the list of safe countries.

“The situation was very difficult at the beginning of the year. There was a lot of information in the press that many people were seeking asylum in Israel. However, the situation has improved after Georgia was put on the list of safe countries,” he stated.

Jishkariani says that Israel launched a visa-free regime for Georgia in 2014, which caused illegal migration problems.

“However, since Georgia was put on the list of safe countries, people requiring political asylum have automatically restricted the right of employment; moreover, a warning is sent to all organizations and institutions that they will be fined if they employ illegal immigrants,” he explained.

The fact that Georgia is recognized by Israel as a safe country means that all Georgians will be denied asylum in Israel as the safe country status is given to those countries where people are not politically persecuted.