Immigration - The Times Of Central Asia

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The Kyrgyz AI Startup Making U.S. Immigration Simpler

These days, public debate is dominated by the issues of immigration and AI. But until the emergence of the new startup Alma, they had existed as entirely separate discussions. Alma's co-founder Aizada Marat, raised in Kyrgyzstan, has been one of the first to ask: can AI be used to simplify immigration? Marat first came to the U.S. as a FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) student when she was 17, before graduating from Harvard Law School in 2015. It was then that her own immigration problems began. Due to visa issues, Marat had to move to London, before coming back to America three years later. “Since relocating to the Bay Area in 2018 [for family reasons] the seed of becoming a founder was planted in my head.” Marat has said on her social media. “When I moved back to the U.S., that's when the immigration nightmare began. As I would with any other service provider, I used Google to find lawyers who could help me with my immigration process. I found a firm. I hired them. I was given the wrong advice. That advice led me to almost miss out on a job offer that, thankfully, I later secured. I also couldn't travel and see my family during that time. With that frustration in mind, I realized I had to start a company to solve the problem professionals were facing.” [caption id="attachment_32658" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Image: Aizada Marat/Alma[/caption] Before Marat could become an entrepreneur, she needed to learn more about business. This is how she ended up at McKinsey, one of the leading global consulting firms. Soon after, Alma was born. Alma is a legal-tech startup, which uses AI to simplify the immigration process. The company was founded in October 2023 by Marat and Assel Tuleubayeva, a former product manager at Step. A month later the startup secured $500,000 of investments from Village Global, John Hale, and other angel investors. In March 2024 Marat and Tuleubayeva found Shuo Chen, who was previously a manager with Uber. In July 2024 Alma raised $5.1 million in combined seed and pre-seed rounds from leading venture capital funds..Last month it was selected for Google Cloud’s AI Accelerator. Alma was founded as a company offering solutions for law firms, but in 2024 it took the decision to help professionals directly, without any intermediaries. Marat, Tuleubayeva and Chen are immigrants themselves, who combined have had to apply for around 15 separate visas to allow them to work in the U.S. This month Alma reached over 300 clients, including both B2C and B2B. “I'm an immigrant who went through the immigration maze myself, so this is deeply personal", Marat tells The Times of Central Asia. "With my legal and business background, starting Alma made perfect sense. Immigrants drive the U.S. economy, and to stay competitive in the AI race, we need to help the best talent achieve their American dream." She adds: “Alma disrupts the immigration in the US and forever streamlines it for the better. Small and big companies...

Migration Immigration Migration Trends Migration Policy radicalization risks Radicalization

Lithuania to Review Migration Policy Toward Central Asian Countries

Lithuania is preparing to revise its migration policy toward citizens from Central Asian nations, citing growing concerns over radicalization risks. Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas announced the potential changes following a meeting with President Gitanas Nausėda, according to local media reports. “Unfortunately, it seems we need to recognize that people from some countries are more likely to become radicalized,” Paluckas told reporters. “We should consider adjusting our immigration policy and focus on bringing in skilled workers from countries that are closer to us culturally.” His remarks came shortly after the head of Lithuania’s State Security Department, Darius Jauniškis, revealed that approximately ten individuals from Central Asian countries had recently been denied entry over alleged ties to terrorist groups and concerns regarding radicalization. Jauniškis also warned of a broader trend, noting a rising risk of radicalization among migrants from both Central and South Asia. Paluckas added that Lithuania currently maintains numerous visa centers in countries whose cultural values may not align with those of Lithuania. “We are looking ahead and planning to update our migration policy so that it better reflects cultural closeness,” he said. Migration Trends from Central Asia Lithuania has experienced a significant increase in migration from Central Asia in recent years, prompting authorities to heighten security oversight. According to Lithuanian intelligence, the number of migrants from the region in 2024 was 14 times higher than in 2021. Despite this sharp rise, former Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has urged caution in interpreting the figures, noting that the total number of migrants remains relatively small and not a cause for alarm. She attributed the increase in part to labor shortages, particularly after many Ukrainian men were conscripted for military service amid the ongoing war. As of October 2024, approximately 10,600 Uzbek nationals were residing in Lithuania, up from fewer than 1,000 in early 2022. Uzbeks now constitute the fourth-largest foreign community in the country. The number of Tajik citizens also rose significantly, from 5,700 to 7,200 in the first nine months of 2024 alone.

Migrants Deportation Turkmen citizens Interrogation Immigration

Turkmenistan’s Security Services Interrogate Citizens Deported from the U.S.

Citizens deported from the United States arrived in Turkmenistan in the first half of February. They were transported on a flight alongside migrants from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. After landing in Ashgabat, where 40 Turkmen citizens disembarked, the plane continued on to Tashkent. Upon arrival, all deportees were sent to their places of permanent residence, where they were interrogated by officers from the Ministry of National Security (MNS). Among the group were 13 individuals who had previously applied for asylum in the U.S. Intelligence officers are reportedly scrutinizing these individuals to determine whether they made negative statements about Turkmenistan while seeking refugee status. As a result, they are being summoned for questioning more frequently than those who were in the U.S. illegally. Also among the deportees were children of high-ranking officials at both regional and state levels. Many had previously studied at Ukrainian universities before obtaining U.S. visas and traveling abroad. According to journalists from Chronicles of Turkmenistan, a married couple was also among those deported. While no arrests have been reported, all returnees continue to be regularly summoned for questioning.