Number of Georgians seeking asylum in Israel “significantly decreased”

The number of Georgian nationals seeking political asylum in Israel has been significantly decreased in the course of the last month, Georgia’s Consul to Israel Aleksandre Jishkariani told local media.

Jishkariani stated that the reason for the decrease was enlisting Georgia as a safe country by Israel in February 2017, which meant no one was considered as politically persecuted in Georgia.

From April 2017 Israel also activated a regulation through which the applications from Georgians were discussed in a quicker manner and if an individual was refused on political asylum they were immediately deported from the state,” Jishkariani told IPN news agency.

Jishkariani stressed if Israel’s Immigration Service used to receive about 400-450 monthly applications from Georgians with the request for asylum, now the number has decreased to several lone cases.

The Consul explained that Georgia-Israel launched visa free travel 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.