IOM Officer: Number of Asylum Seekers from Georgia Down

International Organization for Migration’s Georgia Program Officer Marc Hulst says that the number of Georgian Asylum seekers from Georgia has decreased.

He stated that in January-June 2018, 490 citizens of Georgia applied for asylum in Sweden, 2485 – in Germany, 471 - in Belgium, 81 - in the Netherlands.

“The number of the citizens of Georgia who seek asylum is decreasing. In some countries, on the contrary, we have a tendency to grow,” he stated, adding such cases are very few.

The IOM Officer added that if we compare the current statistical numbers to the same period of the last year, the increase of applications in Sweden is 23% but the number is the same in Belgium.

Hulst underlined that a citizen who left Georgia has a zero chance to receive an asylum in any country.

"Only one percent of Georgians seeking asylum obtained the status in Germany,” he added.

The coordinator explained that there are two different types of status: one is a refugee status and no one from Georgia has received this status in Germany this year and the second is the status for a temporary stay.

“The second status is mostly for those who have certain health-related problems,” Hulst noted.

By Thea Morrison

Photo source: DW