The Law on Labour Migration (2015) regulates the departure of Georgian nationals to work abroad and the entry of foreign workers into Georgia. It establishes the legal framework for labour migration management, bilateral labour agreements, and the protection of migrant workers rights in both directions.
Labour migration is a defining feature of Georgia's economy: approximately 1.5 million Georgian citizens live abroad — representing roughly 35% of the resident population — with remittances constituting approximately 13.7% of GDP in 2023 (GEL 9.8 billion). The law attempts to manage this mass emigration while protecting migrants from exploitation and facilitating circular migration.
Georgia has concluded 12 bilateral labour agreements with EU member states (Germany, Poland, Greece, Italy, France, Czechia, and others) under the EU Seasonal Workers Directive framework. These agreements provide structured pathways for seasonal and temporary work, with social security coordination provisions.
Historical development
Mass Emigration and Its Management: 1991–2024
1991–2004
Unmanaged mass emigration. Post-Soviet economic collapse drove mass emigration, particularly to Russia, Greece, and Turkey. No legal framework. Migrants worked irregularly, with no protection. Estimated 1M+ Georgians abroad by 2004.
2013
EU Association Agreement opens new channels. EU visa liberalisation process (completed 2017) enabled legal movement to EU. Bilateral worker recruitment agreements with Germany and Poland signed. ESDC (Employment Support Dept.) established.
2015
Labour Migration Law adopted. First comprehensive framework: bilateral agreement mechanism, returnee reintegration support, foreign worker permit system, recruitment agency regulation. MLHSA designated as competent authority.
2017
EU visa liberalisation. Georgian citizens gained visa-free access to Schengen area. Significant increase in legal EU labour migration. Germany seasonal worker programme: 3,000 → 12,000 Georgians by 2022.
2022
Post-Ukraine conflict migration surge. Large influx of Russian and Ukrainian nationals into Georgia. Foreign worker registrations increased from ~18,000 to ~45,000. Law amended to streamline foreign worker permit processes.
Georgia Remittances — 2015–2023 (USD millions)
Annual remittance inflows to Georgia. Source: National Bank of Georgia.
Source: National Bank of Georgia, Balance of Payments Statistics 2015–2023. 2022-2023 spike partially reflects Russian financial transfers following war in Ukraine.
Defines 'labour migrant' (Georgian national working or seeking work abroad), 'temporary labour immigrant' (foreign national with work permit in Georgia), 'bilateral labour agreement' (intergovernmental agreement on worker recruitment, rights, and social security coordination), 'recruitment agency' (entity facilitating migration for employment — must be licensed by MLHSA). Art. 2: MLHSA is the competent authority for all labour migration matters.
GILS note: The law applies to documented labour migration. An estimated 200,000–400,000 Georgian emigrants are in irregular status (particularly in Russia and Turkey) — outside the law's scope. Extension of consular protection and support to irregular migrants is a significant gap.
Chapter II — Emigration Framework
Articles 4–8
Rights of Georgian Labour Migrants Abroad
Art. 4: MLHSA maintains a register of bilateral labour agreements and publishes information on legal migration channels. Art. 5: Recruitment agencies must be licensed; charging fees to migrants is prohibited (ILO C181 requirement). Art. 6: Pre-departure information and orientation mandatory for participants in bilateral agreement programmes. Art. 7: ESDC operates a returnee reintegration programme — counselling, skills recognition, and business start-up support. Art. 8: Consular protection — Ministry of Foreign Affairs must provide consular assistance to Georgian migrant workers in distress abroad.
GILS note: The prohibition on recruitment agency fees to migrants (Art. 5) is a critical protection — but enforcement is weak. MLHSA licensed only 12 recruitment agencies as of 2023; dozens more operate unlicensed. Strengthening licensing enforcement is a priority.
Chapter III — Immigration Framework
Articles 9–14
Foreign Workers in Georgia
Art. 9: Foreign nationals may work in Georgia under: (1) work permit (employer-sponsored, max 2 years renewable); (2) bilateral agreement provision; (3) EU Blue Card equivalent (high-skill); (4) seasonal work permit (max 9 months). Art. 10: Employer must register foreign worker with MLHSA within 5 days of commencement. Art. 11: Foreign worker rights — equal treatment with Georgian nationals on wages, working conditions, and OSH. Art. 12: Undocumented foreign workers — employer liable for administrative fine GEL 5,000 per worker. Art. 13: Foreign worker complaint mechanism — LIS handles complaints from foreign workers. Art. 14: Deportation of undocumented foreign workers — MLHSA coordinates with Border Police.
GILS note: The 2022-2023 influx of Russian and Ukrainian nationals has overwhelmed the work permit system. MLHSA processing times increased from 10 days to 45-60 days. A digital permit application system is urgently needed.
Strengths: Bilateral agreement framework with 12 EU countries provides structured legal channels. Prohibition on recruitment agency fees to migrants is consistent with ILO standards. Returnee reintegration programme (ESDC) is active. Foreign worker equal treatment rights are legally guaranteed.
Gaps: Estimated 200,000-400,000 Georgians in irregular status abroad — outside protection scope. Work permit processing backlog (45-60 days in 2023). No portable social security for migrants in countries without bilateral agreements. Brain drain: Georgia loses approximately 3,500 high-skill workers annually to permanent emigration.
GILS Policy Recommendations
Five Priority Reforms
Recommendation 01
Ratify ILO C097 and C143 — priority for 2025 Parliament session
Georgia has not ratified C097 (Migration for Employment) or C143 (Migrant Workers — Supplementary Provisions) despite ratifying them being a stated commitment in the 2020 DCFTA implementation report. Ratification would: (1) require equal treatment for migrant workers in social security; (2) create reporting obligations that improve data quality; (3) strengthen bilateral agreement negotiating position with EU partners. MLHSA has confirmed technical readiness.
ILO C097 · ILO C143 · EU DCFTA Chapter 13
Recommendation 02
Digital work permit system — MLHSA IT investment
Current paper-based work permit system creates 45-60 day processing backlogs. Investment in a digital application portal (estimated GEL 2.5M one-time, GEL 400K annual maintenance) would reduce processing to 10 working days. Employer self-service portal; LIS integration for compliance monitoring; automated renewal notifications. World Bank IFC Technical Assistance Programme has offered co-financing.
Estonia (e-Residency work permits) · Georgia e-Service Portal (gov.ge model)
Recommendation 03
Portable social security for bilateral agreement migrants
Georgian seasonal workers in Germany and Poland accumulate pension contributions they cannot transfer home on return. Negotiate social security totalization agreements (SSA) with all 12 bilateral labour agreement countries by 2026. This requires MLHSA-MFA coordination and is technically complex but has high return: approximately GEL 180M in unrecoverable pension contributions annually (ESDC estimate 2023).
Germany-Georgia SSA (under negotiation) · EU Social Security Regulation 883/2004
Only 12 MLHSA-licensed recruitment agencies operate legally; dozens more operate unlicensed, charging migrants fees in violation of Article 5. Strengthen: (1) online public registry of licensed agencies (currently not publicly accessible); (2) automatic prosecution of unlicensed agencies — referring to prosecutor rather than administrative penalty only; (3) migrant hotline for reporting unlicensed agencies (translate to Russian, Arabic, and other languages for incoming migrants as well).
Georgia loses ~3,500 high-skill workers annually to permanent emigration (Geostat LFS analysis). Introduce: (1) tax incentive for returnees — 3-year personal income tax reduction to 10% (from 20%) for high-skill returnees establishing in Georgia; (2) skills recognition fast-track — foreign qualifications recognised within 30 days for key professions; (3) diaspora investment matching grant — GITA co-funds diaspora startup investments up to GEL 100,000 at 1:1 ratio.
With 1.5 million Georgians abroad and remittances at 13.7% of GDP, labour migration is not a marginal phenomenon — it is a central structural feature of Georgia's economy. The policy challenge is to maximise the benefits of migration (remittances, skills acquisition, social connections) while minimising the costs: irregular status exposure, brain drain, and family separation.
— GILS Research Position Paper on Labour Migration Policy, September 2026
ILO Convention
Subject
Ratified
Compliance
Key Gap
C097
Migration for Employment
a
a
Key protection for documented migrants absent from domestic law
C143
Migrant Workers (Supplementary)
a
a
No irregular migrant protection framework
C181
Private Employment Agencies
o
a
Fee prohibition law but enforcement weak; unlicensed agencies operate