Israeli Gov’t offers dignified return to illegal migrants
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, July 26
The Israeli Immigration and Border Protection Service, along with Georgian embassy to Israel, are offering illegal Georgian migrants in Israel to return to Georgia “worthily,” referring to addressing the relevant bodies voluntarily.
Those who will use the offer and contact the Immigration Service will be able to return to Isreal after a year as a tourist, or with a relevant visa that will enable them to legally work.
The Immigration Service promises they will pay for the plane ticket of those illegally residing Georgians who will decide to approach them within the initiative.
Those wishing to use the suggestion must appeal to the Immigration and Border Protection Service with an application between July 24 and October 30.
They can contact Georgia’s Embassy for additional information at 036093206 or via email at israel.cons@mfa.gov.ge
Israel launched visa free travel for Georgians in 2014, and since than many have tried to use the benefit for their own interests and illegally stay in the country, or ask for asylum for legal residence and work, official bodies from Israel and Georgia reported.
The growing number of Georgian illegal migrants caused problems for others wishing to visit the country.
The number of Georgian nationals seeking political asylum in Israel has been significantly decreased since May this year.
The reason for the decrease was stated to be the listing of Georgia as a safe country by Israel in February 2017, which meant no one would be considered as being politically persecuted in Georgia.
“From April 2017, Israel also activated a regulation through which applications from Georgians were discussed in a quicker manner and if an individual was refused political asylum they were immediately deported from the state,” Georgia’s Consul to Israel, Aleksandre Jishkariani, stated.
Jishkariani stressed that Israel’s Immigration Service used to receive about 400-450 monthly applications from Georgians with requests for asylum, but now the number has decreased to just “several cases.”
