Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated in Parliament that a total of 1,347 foreigners currently hold investment residence permits in Georgia. Short-term residence permits, granted to those purchasing property worth over $150,000, currently cover 4,827 people, while permanent investment residence permits have been issued to 646 individuals. Special permits for potential trafficking victims total 1,952, and former Georgian citizens hold 2,716 permits.
Kobakhidze emphasized that speculation linking short-term residence permits to the Eagle Hills project was unfounded. He also highlighted that the government has established a special electronic system to register foreign workers in the local labor market, which currently includes 51,448 people.
The majority of foreign workers are employed in the IT sector (32%), construction (3.6%), marketing and sales (7.9%), entertainment (6.6%), and business administration (6.2%). Other sectors include hospitality (5.8%), manufacturing (4.6%), education (2.1%), and sports (2.1%).
Nationality breakdown shows Russia (25%), India (13.3%), Turkey (5,600), Belarus (4,930), Turkmenistan (4,000+), Azerbaijan (over 3,000), Ukraine (2,849), China (over 2,000), Kazakhstan (1,891), and Iran (1,277). Kobakhidze noted that foreign workers are crucial in sectors where local labor is insufficient, ensuring the continued operation of infrastructure and industrial projects.
