Role of the state

Even when a citizen is in illegal emigration, the state should have a plan, and mechanisms through which it can and if necessary helps its own citizens who, due to the lack of necessary documents, face problems in the countries of migration. 

What is the problem?

During illegal migration, people may face such risks and dangers as: 

• Detention/imprisonment;
• Illegal deprivation of liberty;
• Financial loss;
• Risks related to physical and/or mental health.

And if illegal migration cannot be avoided, the state should make efforts to protect its illegal citizens in foreign countries:

• it should provide them with information about their rights;
• and have an immediate reaction to the facts of their oppression;

Interrelation between illegal migration and illegal labor migration

It is even possible to put an equation sign between illegal labor migration and illegal migration. An illegal, who is in a foreign country without documents, needs an income that:

• Can't be based on legal work,  
• And neither received in the form of social assistance. 

Therefore, illegals are involved in the chain of illegal labor and there is a risk of facing such problems as: 

• trafficking; 
• Criminal groups;
• Significantly unfair working conditions compared to the local population. 

In these conditions, it becomes very difficult to protect their rights, because they cannot apply to the relevant state agencies or bodies because of fear of being deported from the country. 

Details

Some countries agree that even when dealing with illegal migration, the basic rights of all migrants must be protected. For example, to apply to the relevant authorities: 

• Police,  
• Social services;
• Protect themselves from violence and inhumane treatment, including at the workplace,
• and, etc. 

The diplomatic service of the citizens’ country should play a special role in protecting the rights of its citizens and, if necessary, provide important information to its citizens, thereby contributing to the protection of their rights.

A short historical overview of modern Georgian migration 

During the Soviet Union, migration outside the Union was practically unthinkable. After its dissolution, a number of economic sectors collapsed, including agriculture. A large part of the population was left without income and began to search for ways for survival. 

In the 1990s, due to war and occupation of territories in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region, as well as civil war, even more people were forced to leave the country. Russia remained the historical country of migration, along with Ukraine.

One of the first states of the European Union where Georgian citizens found their way was Greece. Greece is the first country in Europe and the second in the world by the number of Georgian immigrants. Other destinations such as Spain, Germany, the USA, Italy, and neighboring Turkey were later added to the list.  

Dangerous ways of migration 

Illegal migration was often associated with serious risks and still is today. For example, there are stories of Georgian immigrants, how they traveled for hours in the trunks of buses in order to reach their destination. It was associated with inhuman suffering. 

Citizens of Georgia choose a dangerous way even today when they have to choose an illegal way to go to the USA, in particular, crossing the border of Mexico. This border passes over the Rio Grande River, where accidents are very common. In addition, people who choose this path agree to surrender to the US police and then claim asylum.  

Why we do not have accurate statistical data on illegal migrants

It is very important to have a clear picture in order to identify the problem and find ways to solve it, however, due to the nature of illegal migration, it is impossible to fully describe the number and characteristics of people involved in illegal migration, 

Because

Migrants may be able to cross the border legally, but violate the conditions of legal stay in the country and become irregular migrants. 

The impact of illegal labor migration on the economy 

Illegal labor migration has an impact on the economies of both receiving and countries of origin.  

Impact on the host country's economy 

People involved in labor migration, and especially illegal labor migration, usually agree to the type of pay that a local worker would not agree to.

There are several reasons for this:

• The number of working hours, which is unregulated in the case of illegal labor, 
• Additionally, nonexistence of a minimum wage limit,
• Low-skilled work,
• and. etc. 

Countries with strong economies have a demand for low-skilled labor that is met at the expense of migrants, which is beneficial to their economies. 

The impact of labor migration on the economy of the country of origin 

Labor migration can have both positive and negative effects on the country of origin. 

The following can be considered a negative influence:

• The outflow of human resources, including highly qualified personnel, who were supposed to play an essential role in the development of the country.  
• Creating a shortage of qualified personnel in various fields. 
• The negative impact of remittances on recipient households or individuals who lose the desire and motivation to participate directly in the economy. 
• When talking about the negative impact, one cannot ignore the social factors, such as living away from family members, raising young children without parents, and the psycho-emotional problems associated with the mentioned. 

The volume of remittances and the financial security of citizens remaining in the country can be considered a positive influence. 

The effect of labor migration on the economy of Georgia 

Remittances have a strong impact on the economy of Georgia. In particular, 13% of the gross domestic product (GDP) comes from remittances. According to these data, Georgia ranks 23rd in the world and 2nd among the countries of the Eastern Partnership. 

Remittances can be considered as one of the most stable components of GDP, considering that during the pandemic, the country practically only relied on remittances, due to the critical decrease in tourism income and direct investments. In contrast, during the pandemic, the number of remittances increased to 9%.  

According to the data of the National Bank of Georgia, remittances of 334 million US dollars entered the country in August 2022. Their distribution is as follows: 

It should be noted that according to the data of the World Bank, Georgia ranks 16th in the world in terms of remittances from abroad.  

And finally  

The data show that about 23% of the population of Georgia are immigrants. It is difficult to talk about what part of them are illegal labor migrants, however, a large part likely includes illegal migration. 

At first glance, the influence of “invisible” people, whose exact statistics the country does not have, on the Georgian economy is particularly significant, and the trend shows that it will only increase in the future.