The legalisation of foreign medical personnel in Georgia fits within the general labour-migration frame, but with one sector-specific feature written directly into the statute: medical institutions enjoy a reduced turnover threshold. This page explains the full route for medical personnel — from the visa category to the validity terms of the residence permit — on the basis of the Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, and shows where the medical sector stands compared with others. The comparison of thresholds is the starting point of the plan.
The visa stage — the D1 category
The appropriate visa route for medical personnel is the D1 category immigration visa: the law links it to labour immigrants and to representatives and consultants of companies, and it is precisely in that format that an alien employed by a medical institution enters. Under the wording in force since 1 March 2026, a D1 is issued to an alien who has received the right to labour activity — a formulation tying the employment-based route even more clearly to the real working relationship. When preparing the application it matters that the connection with the institution and the position be documented in detail, since this categorical fit is the basis of the decision.
The work residence permit and the income threshold
Staying for work rests on a work residence permit. An applicant submits to the Agency a document confirming labour or entrepreneurial activity and a certificate confirming that his or her monthly income is not less than five times the average consumer subsistence minimum. This threshold is universal and does not vary by sector — the sector-specific feature lies in the turnover requirement. Turnover data are prepared in advance.
The preferential threshold for medical institutions
The law's direct norm: the annual turnover of an alien's employer or founding educational or medical institution is, for these purposes, at least 35 000 GEL per each alien seeking a work residence permit. By comparison: under the general rule, the annual turnover of an enterprise — other than an educational or medical institution — must not be less than 50 000 GEL per each applicant. This difference is a real preference for the medical sector: a clinic or medical centre can legalise a foreign employee with a lower turnover than an employer in another field. The difference in thresholds is what makes the sectoral route distinct.