Immigration

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Tbilisi International Airport. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.

Georgia

Georgian Parliament passes new amendments to migration laws

by Mikheil Gvadzabia

•3 min read

Georgia’s new foreign agent law means OC Media’s team could face prison for speaking truth to power. Join the fight for free media in the Caucasus for as little as €5 and enjoy exclusive benefits from our team as a thank you. Become a member The Georgian Parliament has approved a legislative package of amendments that mainly concern foreigners who commit crimes or overstay, as well as the procedure for obtaining asylum. The legislative package of amendments concerning intern

Georgia

Georgia tightens entry rules for citizens of 17 countries

by OC Media

•2 min read

The list includes 12 African countries.

Georgia

Georgia’s Interior Ministry submits new amendments to migration law to parliament

by Xandie (Alexandra) Kuenning

•3 min read

The amendments mainly address foreigners who commit crimes or overstay, as well as the procedure to receive asylum.

Jrpjej, a post-traditional Circassian band, performing in Tbilisi on 22 July 2023. Image courtesy of Astemir Boziev.

Georgia

Podcast | North Caucasian art and activism in Tbilisi

by OC Media

•1 min read

Last week, a group of North Caucasian immigrants in Tbilisi gathered at the Centre for Contemporary Art to celebrate their culture and discuss the experience of North Caucasians in Georgia. On this week’s episode of the Caucasus Digest, we are joined by the organisers of the event: the founders of Ored Recordings, Bulat Khalilov and Timur Kodzoko, and Zemfira Gogui, a human rights consultant from Karachay-Cherkessia. Khalilov and Kodzoko broke down the cultural significanc

Illustration by Armine Avetisyan/OC Media.

Armenia

‘I dreamt of a carefree life — I was deceived’: the Armenians immigrating illegally to America

by Armine Avetisyan

•6 min read

For some in Armenia, the dream of a better life for them and their families leads them to illegally immigrate to America. But a bid for a life in the West does not come cheap, with many having to sell everything they own and brave imprisonment, injury, or even death. Karen (not his real name), 31, had long dreamt of moving to America. It started when he was still in seventh grade when a close friend and classmate immigrated with his family to the US. ‘We used to talk on the internet all th

citizenship

Georgia may increase citizenship requirements

by OC Media

•2 min read

People wishing to apply for Georgian citizenship will need to have resided in the country for at least 10 years, up from the current 5, if a new law currently in parliament is passed. The bill, which passed its first hearing in Parliament on Thursday, would also raise the bar for spouses of Georgian citizens, who would have to have resided in Georgia for 5 years, up from 2, to be granted citizenship under a simplified procedure. According to the explanatory note of the bill on Organic Law o

Bidzina Ivanishvili

Rustavi 2 journalists attacked by far-right group for joke about Jesus and Ivanishvili

by OC Media

•3 min read

Far-right group the March of Georgians attacked three journalists from Rustavi 2 on Monday afternoon in Tbilisi. The attack was in response to an on-air joke by anchor Giorgi Gabunia about former Georgian Prime Minister, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, his tree-collecting hobby, and Jesus Christ. The Interior Ministry said they had arrested six people for hooliganism after the incident, and have launched an investigation into the attack. At around 16:30 Monday afternoon, dozens of member