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The increase in the number of Georgians seeking asylum in Ireland has raised fears that the latter could lose visa-free travel to most of the European Union if the country does not manage to maintain the asylum situation under control.
According to a report published by the Irish Times, the number of Georgians seeking international protection in the European Union this year could surpass the pre-pandemic levels if authorities in Georgia tighten their controls at the country’s airports and also pass new laws, following the pressure from the EU Member States to address the issue, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Over 1,100 Georgians have filed an application for asylum in Ireland this year, which is more than any other nationality except for Ukraine.
In this regard, officials, as well as experts, have stressed that poverty, not conflict or prosecution, is among the main reasons for migration among Georgians, who have been eligible to travel without visas to the EU’s borderless area of Schengen since 2017, from where some move on to Ireland, while Ireland is not part of Schengen Zone.
“From 2017 to 2020, we had a serious problem with Georgians migrating to the Schengen area under the visa-free regime, when they only went as tourists and asked for asylum the moment they arrived,” an EU -Official in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, pointed out in this regard, as reported by the Irish Times.
The same source stressed that the travel bans and other restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants led to a decrease in the number of asylum applications; however, at present, a large number of Georgians are travelling and staying in the Schengen Zone countries, for a longer than the permitted 90 days period.
In addition, according to the official, compared to 2021 figures, now it has been noted an increase of 69 per cent in overstays, thus is again becoming one of the main concerns in bilateral relations.
“This has been raised by the EU ambassadors here – that it will take another push from the EU family here with the authorities – to ensure this is checked,” she pointed out.
Ireland has no diplomatic mission in Tbilisi and issues tourist as well as other visas to citizens of Georgia from its embassy, which is located 1,800 km away, across the Black Sea in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia.