New Package Of Legislative Amendments On International Protection

A package of legislative amendments "On International Protection" was prepared by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. The package of amendments has been submitted to the legislative body for consideration. According to the amendments:

✓ A new type of punishment is added to the Criminal Code - expulsion of an alien from Georgia and a ban on entering Georgia for a specified period;

✓ A new type of administrative penalty is added to the Code of Administrative Offenses - expulsion of an alien from Georgia and a ban on entering Georgia;

✓ Fines are increased for aliens who have violated the rules of stay on the territory of Georgia;

✓ The procedure for expelling aliens illegally staying in the country is significantly simplified. In order to prevent abuse of the asylum procedure:

✓ An accelerated asylum review procedure is introduced for aliens who have not requested asylum within 1 month of entering the country;

✓ A new mechanism is introduced, according to which "Asylum will be considered at the Georgian state border, without allowing the alien to enter the territory of Georgia, if the alien's entry into the country poses a threat to state security;

✓ The terms for considering and appealing asylum will be significantly reduced;

✓ A simplified (electronic) procedure for submitting decisions will be introduced, which will significantly facilitate control of the terms for appealing;

✓ The issuance of a residence permit in Georgia will be restricted to an alien against whom the issue of expulsion has been examined or a decision has been made to expel him or her from Georgia," the information states.