The Parliament of Georgia is preparing to adopt amendments to the law on the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons. The new residence permit category is specially designed for IT professionals. A deputy from the ruling Georgian Dream party, Vako Turnava, announced an accelerated review. The law will be effective from September 1, 2025.
The labor market supply and demand for IT personnel are volatile things. Especially when there are sanctions restrictions and mass migration of highly qualified specialists. Georgia decided not to miss the moment.
To whom will they be given and on what terms
Three categories of applicants will receive a new residence permit:
- Employees of the IT sector registered with the Ministry of Health;
- Individual entrepreneurs with small business status in the IT sector;
- Representatives of international IT companies and their families.
The basic requirements are tough, but doable. At least 2 years of experience in the IT field, plus proof of income from $25,000 per year. Families of specialists automatically receive the right to a residence permit.
Economic calculations and forecasts
According to the authors of the bill, IT employment may grow to 100,000 people. The total turnover of the Internet industry will reach GEL 24 billion ($8.7 billion). The total budget of Georgia for 2025 is 27 billion lari ($10.07 billion).
The numbers are impressive. Over the past 3 years, from 5 to 10 thousand IT specialists have arrived in Georgia from Russia and Belarus. Accurate statistics are not kept – many lived as tourists without registration.
The number of IT employees in Georgia is growing rapidly: 30.6 thousand in 2021, 39 thousand in 2022, and 45.5 thousand in 2023. Salaries have increased from GEL 2,000 to GEL 4,100 during this time.
What will change compared to current practice
Currently, IT specialists receive a residence permit through the registration of a small business. The tax is only 1% of the turnover. But they only give you a year, not three. The alternative is to buy a property starting from $100,000, also for a year.
The practice has changed dramatically. If in 2022-2023 Georgia often refused Russians a residence permit, now the vast majority of applications are approved. According to Forbes, Russians registered 13,000 companies in Georgia in 2023. For comparison, over the 27 years (1995-2022) there were only 7,788 legal entities with Russian capital.
- We will answer all your questions
- We will help you choose the best option
- We will guide you through every step or do everything for you
We are following the developments. As soon as the requirements for the documents and the registration process are known, we will definitely inform you about them. In the meantime, our experts are ready to choose a program for you that will cover your tasks. Leave a request for a consultation.
Implemented a system for tracking the stages of visa processing for clients, which increased their satisfaction by 30% (according to survey results).
Login with Google