Schengen applications in Georgia drop by 87%
By Ella Worehead
Tuesday, July 2
The latest official statistics showed that 2,927 residents of Georgia applied for a Schengen uniform visa. As such, it meant that Schengen visa applications in the Eastern European country decreased by 87%. The main reason for such fall was the abolishment of the Schengen visa regime to Georgia in March 2017.
The Dutch embassy topped the list in terms of collecting Schengen visa applications. As shown in the statistics, last year, 697 residents of Georgia submitted a uniform visa application at this embassy. In turn, only 252 applicants were granted a visa, while the rest were rejected one.
Other embassies which received relatively high visa applications were Lithuania(431), Italy(401), Germany (324) and France (287).
The EU Commission’s annual statistical report also revealed something concerning. The percentage share of visa denials in the total number of Schengen uniform visa applications has increased significantly. Of the total 2,927 visa applications which had been collected during 2018, 923 or 31.5% of them were rejected. In contrast, the percentage share of visa denials during 2017 was 18.3%.
The main reason for the change is because the number of asylum seekers and illegal migrants in EU countries, including those coming from Georgia, has experienced year-on-year growth in recent years. Moreover, in January 2018, less than a year since the decision for waiving visas to Georgia was taken, the EU authorities have warned that they might consider suspension mechanisms.
Statistics provided by the EU’s statistical agency showed that the number of Georgians seeking asylum in EU countries increased by 51% in 2018. According to official data, last year 5,485 citizens of Georgia issued a request for asylum in EU countries, while two years ago, this figure stood at 3,615 asylum requests. Also, of the total 3,680 asylum applicants from Georgia who received an instant decision, only 170 or 5% received a positive response.
Such events have put EU members under alarm, and one among many measures taken to counter this issue has been reviewing of their Schengen visa policies. That in mind, if national authorities in Georgia don’t act fast, it is likely that the number of visa denials will increase still in the future.