In order to combat illegal labor migration, the Governing Georgian Dream Party introduces closer regulations for the employment of foreigners in Georgia.
A draft law that has already been submitted to the one-party parliament and urgently checked suggests the creation of a new mechanism for the granting of special work permit for foreign employees. The changes also provide stricter punishments for violations, including increased fines for employers.
According to the explanatory note that accompanies the draft in applicable legislation, the employee of a foreign citizen in Georgia only requires registration in the electronic labor migration system, which is concluded by the employer. The state currently lacks the authority to refuse to deal with a foreign national in the interest of protection of the domestic labor market.
“This has led to an influx of unrestricted or excess workers, which has a negative impact on the local workforce and the overall conditions of the labor market,” says the document.
As part of the current framework, foreigners who enter in visa -free trips in Georgia and will later find employment must not obtain a work permit or a workload permission, provided they are registered in the labor migration system.
Citing official statistics, the document notes that 239,334 foreign citizens have occurred in Georgia and remained an important threshold of geostat for the definition of immigrants between 2022 and 2023. While employment and economic opportunities are accepted as the main driver of this migration, only 42,000 Labor immigrants are officially registered on the labor market.
“This discrepancy shows that the current system does not cover the actual extent of labor migration in Georgia, which makes it difficult to implement targeted guidelines, protect labor rights and understand real market dynamics.”
The draft law proposes the following reforms:
- Creation and implementation of a special work permit system for foreign employees
- Definition of clear criteria for the granting of work permits
- Regulation of independent foreign employees and people who are involved in entrepreneurial activities
- Introduction of new surveillance and enforcement mechanisms
- Description responsible agencies for enforcement
- Increased fines for employers who hire foreigners without proper approval
- Penalties for non -authorized employment or entrepreneurial activities by foreigners
Full regulation of labor migration processes and clarification of the responsibilities of the agency for political management
The law is expected to come into force on March 1, 2026. Foreigners with active registration in the labor migration system at this time must obtain both a special work permit and an appropriate residence permit by January 1, 2027. The law does not apply retrospectively.
The following fines are proposed for violations:
- 2,000 gel per foreign migrant workers who work for a local employer without proper work permit
- 2,000 gel for employers who employ a migrant worker without the required approval
- 2,000 gel for independent foreigners who work without valid labor law
Repeated violations lead to double fines.
According to the draft, the core goal of the reform is to protect domestic work resources by ensuring that the employment of foreign nationals is completely regulated, transparently and organized with the labor market needs.
