“Previously, a work permit took a maximum of two weeks, and you could start working first and receive the permit afterward. Now you have to wait about three months, and agencies are already directly refusing to employ us. People are returning to Georgia. We’ve heard that Iberia is flourishing and factories are booming,”  says Nino Sarajishvili, a Georgian living in Poland, one of thousands of Georgians who can no longer be employed there under simplified procedures.

Poland has removed Georgia from the list of countries whose citizens are eligible for simplified work permit procedures. Since 2018, Georgian citizens had been able to work in Poland under an eased employment regime. For thousands of Georgians, employment in Poland was a way to escape social hardship. As of December 1, 2025, this option is no longer available to them.

Nino Sarajishvili says that thousands of Georgians are now being forced to return to Georgia, while some Georgian migrants are attempting to remain illegally in various European countries.

“I have lived in Poland for four years. In December, I left my job because it involved heavy physical labor, and at that time the law was amended.

A three-month waiting period is effectively such a major barrier that employment becomes impossible. When a vacancy is announced, workers are needed immediately. That’s why the agency told me directly: we cannot wait three months for you.

I have a residence permit, but that is not enough.

When you don’t have a job, you don’t have insurance either. You could die on the street. You need at least USD 1,000 per month just to survive here. Where is an emigrant supposed to get that kind of money? If they had it, they wouldn’t come here in the first place.

People are moving from Poland to Germany, and as happened years ago, they become undocumented. A hungry person will not be stopped by a piece of paper. I have always tried to find legal pathways…

Poland made this decision because Poles themselves are leaving the country. Hard labor jobs are mostly filled by people from less developed countries, which causes various problems… I also do not rule out that Poland was actively involved in Georgia’s rapprochement with Europe and that this decision is linked to a change in Georgia’s foreign policy orientation.

The fact is that this is an enormous barrier for us. I honestly don’t know what to do,”
Nino Sarajishvili told us.

“In Poland, 90% of companies are now outright refusing to employ Georgian citizens, given the current situation,”  says Irina Namicheishvili in an interview with Batumelebi. She is an HR recruiter who has been helping Georgian citizens find jobs in Poland for years.

“Employers are also anxious. I know a very good Polish employer who owns construction companies. He was deeply upset by this issue because he has been working with Georgian citizens for eight years. He understands Georgians well, has found common ground with them, and does not want to hire anyone else,”
Irina Namicheishvili explains.

According to her, the recent legislative changes will affect construction workers the least, as demand in that sector remains high.

“Construction is the only sector where workers are constantly needed. There is no long waiting period there.

In other sectors where we used to employ people under simplified rules, the permit took roughly a week, give or take. Now the same process takes three months. During this time, there is a risk that the job will no longer be available.

Employers prefer to go through the complex bureaucratic process also time-consuming to hire citizens of other countries instead. That is why they are refusing altogether. Many people have ended up on the street, many are returning home.

Those who were already working have not seen changes yet as long as they do not want to change jobs and have valid contracts, they can continue working. But for those who did not make it in time, or who wanted to go to Poland for work, the situation has become extremely complicated.

In Poland, many people do not encounter conditions that allow them to stay in one job long-term. Some may not be physically able to perform certain work. While waiting for a new permit, a vacancy may close altogether.

Fees have increased as well 400 zloty (about 270 GEL). Many agencies also add a service fee. Some agencies add another 400 zloty on top of that. Obtaining a permit through an agency now costs around USD 200.

Georgian citizens were mostly employed in Poland through recruitment agencies. Starting work directly at a factory is a very difficult process. No factory wants to maintain its own legalization department it is an additional expense. Instead, they prefer to hire intermediaries employment agencies that handle the legal employment of foreign workers for specific companies,”
Irina Namicheishvili explains.

Who Is Responsible for the Cancellation of Simplified Employment Opportunities for Georgian Citizens in Poland?

“There was an opinion that Poland made this decision due to crimes committed by Georgian citizens, but Polish employers tell us that this is the result of our political choices.

I also believe that all of this is the result of the foreign policy course chosen by Georgian Dream.

Everyone’s social situation will change drastically. I used to send 30–40 people per month to work in Poland some went with their families. Why did they go there to work? Because they could not find jobs in Georgia, or if they did, the wages were so minimal that they physically could not support their families.

As a result, all these people will now find themselves in extreme poverty partly because of me.

So many people leave the country and support their families from abroad. If you cannot provide these people with even basic necessities in your own country I am not talking about luxury then at least you should not make things worse for them.

I am not a politician, but the fact is that we have encountered conditions where ordinary people who receive no support from the state have had every path blocked to saving themselves.

In this reality, emigrants have also had their voting rights restricted.

Sometimes I feel like the government and we are living on completely different planets,”
Irina Namicheishvili told Batumelebi.