Georgian PM highlights sharp rise in illegal migrant deportations

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday said that the country has significantly increased deportations of illegal migrants and suggested that, if current trends continue, the issue could be effectively resolved within approximately four years.

During his annual address to the legislative body, Kobakhidze noted that over the past ten years, approximately 1,000 illegal migrants had been deported, describing this figure as insufficient.

“Over the past 10 years, only around 1,000 illegal migrants were deported. This was not a satisfactory statistic. Only last year - primarily starting from last summer, meaning what we are referring to reflects roughly six months of results - a total of 1,311 illegal migrants were deported. This year, with less than half a year having passed, 1,980 illegal migrants have already been deported”, he said.

The Prime Minister reiterated his government’s target of deporting at least 4,000 illegal migrants by the end of the year, stating that current data suggests the number could even reach 5,000.

“As already noted, the number of migrants, specifically illegal migrants, is approximately 20,000. At the beginning of the year, we stated that we intended to deport at least 4,000 illegal migrants from Georgia by the end of the year, and as you can see, this is entirely realistic - based on six months of data, we may even reach 5,000”, he stressed.

He emphasised that migration policy remains a key priority for the government and highlighted ongoing cooperation with the Ministry of Justice to streamline citizenship procedures.

“With these figures, it is realistic to fully resolve the problem in about four years, and this is one of our key priorities. As for simplifying citizenship procedures, we are working on this together with the Ministry of Justice. Naturally, parliamentary involvement will be required, and we can work on this issue together”, Kobakhidze concluded.