An employer-led process for a specific position
Foreign IT specialists accepting employment with a Georgian entity and the employer’s HR, payroll and legal team.
- employer-filed right-to-work application
- vacancy test or current exception
- contract, job description and qualifications
- government fees and post-approval deadline
- role changes, payroll and renewal
What the work rules mean for you
A Georgian employer normally files for a foreign IT employee and supports the specific role with vacancy or exception evidence, an employment contract, qualifications and company records. Approval must then be connected to the correct D1 visa or residence step.
The employer normally files, but the employee’s passport, qualifications, contract and actual duties must support the selected position. We coordinate both sides rather than leaving the employee to solve the employer procedure.
The Georgian employer normally owns the filing
When a foreign IT professional will work under an employment relationship with a Georgian entity, the employer normally submits the right-to-work application. The employee provides identity, qualification and role evidence; the employer supports the position, contract, vacancy process and company side of the file.
- Confirm the employing Georgian legal entity and responsible filing person.
- Describe the actual duties and choose the matching profession or position.
- Prepare an employment contract that matches the application and intended payroll.
- Check the employee’s lawful stay and passport validity before filing.
Check whether a vacancy test or an exception applies
The ordinary procedure may require the employer to register the vacancy in the state employment system for at least 10 working days. The employer considers referred candidates and records the outcome before filing for the foreign professional.
- Do not publish a generic title that does not reflect the real engineering, data, security or management duties.
- Check listed employer and position exceptions before starting the vacancy timetable.
- Where annual foreign-worker coordination applies, complete it before the individual application.
- Keep the vacancy, candidate and refusal records in the employer file.
Prove the person, the role and the employment basis
The application should make it easy to see who will employ the person, what the person will do, why their education or experience is relevant and on what terms the employment will begin.
- Passport with the required remaining validity and current Georgian contact/status details.
- Signed employment contract, detailed job description and proposed start date.
- Diploma, certificate, employer reference or other qualification/experience evidence relevant to the role.
- Employer registry, authorised-signatory, turnover and employment-system evidence required by the chosen route.
- Certified Georgian translation of foreign-language evidence where required.
Build the work decision into the arrival or residence calendar
The published services are GEL 200 for 30 calendar days and GEL 400 for 10 working days. Once approved, the employee normally needs the corresponding D1 visa or residence step within the applicable statutory period.
- Outside Georgia: plan the D1 visa step and travel date around the decision.
- Inside Georgia: check lawful stay and the 10-calendar-day residence timetable.
- For an eligible IT professional, compare ordinary work residence with the dedicated IT Residence Permit.
- Do not assume approval for one employer or role transfers to another.
Employment, payroll and permission should continue to match
The employer should retain the decision, approved role, contract, payroll and residence records as one employment file. A promotion, transfer, new employer or materially different role should be reviewed before the change takes effect.
- Calendar the renewal at least 30 calendar days before expiry.
- Report material facts and keep the worker’s passport and residence position current.
- Review work rights separately for an accompanying spouse or adult family member.
- Keep income-tax, funded-pension and other payroll obligations separate from immigration approval.
What to send us first
The employee and employer each provide factual records; our team turns them into a consistent employer-led application. Do not prepare a legal submission or translate every document before the position and exception route are checked.
Send us first
- Employee passport and current Georgian status/contact details
- Signed or draft employment contract and intended start date
- Detailed job description
- Diploma, certificates, references or experience evidence
- Employer company ID, responsible person and current headcount
- Employer revenue and any planned foreign-worker information
We prepare or coordinate
- Classify the profession and review the vacancy/exception route
- Prepare the employer application and evidence map
- Coordinate qualified electronic signature and submission
- Plan translations and respond to agreed authority follow-up
- Connect the decision with employment, payroll and residence
Obtained or confirmed later
- Vacancy/candidate records or final exception evidence
- Turnover and annual-coordination evidence where required
- Right-to-work code and decision
- D1 visa or residence application evidence
- Renewal, promotion or employer-change documents
How the work usually proceeds
The exact order depends on the service and your documents. We confirm the steps and responsibilities before professional work begins.
- 01
confirm whether permission or a current exemption applies
- 02
identify the correct employer-filed or self-filed path
- 03
complete vacancy/market steps when applicable
- 04
prepare the profession or activity-specific evidence
- 05
file, respond to requests and coordinate the following visa or residence step
How this may look in a real case
A cybersecurity specialist hired by a Georgian company uses one consistent role across the vacancy, contract, application, payroll and residence file.
What can slow the process down
We check these points at the beginning and flag gaps before filing, so you can correct them while there is still time.
- The employer schedules the employee’s start before checking the vacancy or exception route.
- The contract uses a broad title while the application and qualification evidence describe a different role.
- Employer headcount, annual-request or turnover evidence is incomplete at filing.
- Foreign diplomas or references are translated before the relevant evidence list is confirmed.
- A promotion or transfer is implemented without checking whether a new decision is needed.
A clear recommendation and a managed Georgian process
We work with the Georgian employer and foreign employee to build one consistent position file, complete the employer procedure and coordinate approval with employment, payroll and residence.
ITResidency.ge is operated by ASSIO LEX & ASSOCIATES LLC, the Georgian legal and business-services provider for the engagement.
- Role and vacancy/exception review
- Employer and employee evidence checklist
- Contract, application and electronic filing
- Decision and D1/residence sequencing
- Change-of-role and renewal planning
Frequently asked questions
Does the employee or the Georgian employer submit the application?
The Georgian employer normally submits the application for a foreign employee. The employee provides identity, qualification and role evidence, while the employer manages the vacancy or exception, contract and company evidence.
Can I start working while the application is pending?
Do not assume so. The employer should confirm the applicable right or exemption before work begins and align the contract start, filing, visa or residence timing with that position.
Is every software or technology role automatically approved?
No. The application is position-specific. The actual duties, selected profession, contract, qualifications and employer need to support the same real role. A technology-company name or broad job title is not enough.
When can the vacancy test be avoided?
The current procedure contains listed exceptions for specified employer and role profiles, including certain International Company and Innovative Startup employers and certain highly paid, qualified positions. The exception must be evidenced; it should not be assumed from the employer’s brand or the salary alone.
Which employee documents are normally needed?
Start with a passport, current Georgian status/contact details, employment contract, detailed job description and relevant diploma, certificate, reference or experience evidence. Foreign-language records may need certified Georgian translation.
Does approval include a Georgian residence permit?
No. The work decision is used in the next immigration step. Depending on the employee’s location and eligibility, that may be a D1 visa, work residence permit or dedicated IT Residence Permit.
What if the employee is promoted or transferred?
A materially different position, transfer to another Georgian employer or contract change may require a new decision. Review the change before it takes effect, including its payroll and residence consequences.
Can ITResidency.ge assist the employer and employee together?
Yes. We can review the role and exception, prepare the evidence plan and employer filing, coordinate the decision and connect it with the employment, payroll, visa and residence steps.
