EU Asylum Agency Warns Member States of Increasing Numbers of Georgian Migrants Due to War in Ukraine

According to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), in the first four months of 2022, 8,075 asylum applications from Georgian citizens, representing a 183 per cent increase compared to the previous year, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

Moreover, 390 Georgian nationals were granted temporary protection in EU countries, while most applications for asylum were submitted to five main countries; France (2,725), Germany (2,455), Italy (1,100), Ireland (420) and Belgium (315).

Ireland specifically experienced a surge in asylum applications from Georgians, accounting for five per cent of the total applications filed from this nationality group and becoming the fourth largest receiving country.

Of the 8,075 applications filed by Georgians from January to April of 2022, 7,325 were first-time applications. In addition, 91 per cent of Georgian asylum applications came from first-time applicants, which was 76 per cent for the corresponding time in 2021 and 82 per cent for the full year of 2021.

During the first few months of 2022, EU countries granted refugee status to 80 Georgian nationals while another 35 were offered subsidiary protection – representing increases of 23 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively. In addition, a total of 390 Georgian nationals obtained temporary protection status.

Data from UNHCR shows that 88 per cent of Georgian refugees were residing in the EU under the UNHCR mandate in 2021. In addition, 59 per cent of all or 5,760, were living in France, followed by Germany (711) and Italy (623).

“In 2021, Georgian children had a higher rejection rate for international protection in the EU than any other nationality. Some 96 per cent of child asylum applications in EU countries were rejected, while two per cent received subsidiary protection status, one per cent received protection under the Geneva Convention, and one per cent received humanitarian protection status,” the report from EUAA explains.

During the first half of the year, none of the Georgian children who were given temporary protection status in the European countries were classified as unaccompanied minors, possibly due to Georgia being classified as a ‘Safe Country of Origin’.

One of the reasons for this surge in asylum applications of Georgian nationals can be due to security and safety concerns following the Russo-Georgian war that happened in 2008.