Migration - The Times Of Central Asia

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Migration

Uzbek Labor Migration to Russia Falls 13.2% in First Half of 2026

Uzbek citizens accounted for more work-related arrivals in Russia than any other nationality in the first half of 2026, despite a 13.2% decline compared with a year earlier. According to data published by TASS on October 26, Uzbek citizens listed employment as the purpose of entry on 1,178,609 occasions. Tajikistan ranked second with 494,518 entries, followed by Kyrgyzstan with 289,061, Kazakhstan and China. The statistics count border entries rather than individual people: a single worker may have crossed the Russian border several times. The Central Bank of Uzbekistan reported approximately 1.358 million such trips in the first half of 2025, nearly 180,000 more than a year later. Russia remains Uzbekistan's largest overseas labor market, but the number of Uzbek citizens working in other countries is growing. In 2025, the number of Uzbek workers in the European Union increased by 13.2%, while the figure for Turkey rose by 10.7%. As of July 1, 2026, approximately 70,000 Uzbek citizens were in Turkey, and 102,200 were in South Korea, both increases from a year earlier. These figures reflect the number of citizens present in the respective countries and do not necessarily correspond to employment statistics. Despite the decline in work-related trips, remittances from Russia to Uzbekistan increased by 8.8% in the first half of 2026. For Uzbekistan, remittances are a significant source of household income. The Central Bank has warned that declining labor migration could eventually reduce household incomes and consumer spending. Meanwhile, the number of advertised vacancies in Uzbekistan fell by 9.8% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, while competition for jobs intensified. Unpaid wages are another persistent problem. During the first nine months of 2026, Uzbekistan's Migration Agency handled complaints from 817 citizens concerning unpaid wages and compensation, recovering a total of $850,000 from foreign employers. Of these complaints, 533 came from Russia, 155 from Turkey, and 92 from South Korea. The agency also helped 532 Uzbek citizens recover identity documents withheld by intermediaries or employers. Russia accounted for 331 such cases and Turkey for 185. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Russia accounted for 72.4% of remittances received by Uzbekistan in the first quarter of 2026, despite its declining share.

Labor Migration

New Tajikistan Migration Law Aims to Improve Overseas Recruitment

Tajikistan has adopted a new migration law that introduces a system for rating foreign employers and provides for assistance to citizens returning from work abroad. The legislation also seeks to make it easier for Tajik citizens to find jobs overseas through official recruitment channels. President Emomali Rahmon signed the law on October 21, and the full text was published on October 23 by the parliamentary newspaper Sadoi Mardum. It replaces legislation dating back to 1999. According to the World Bank, approximately one-quarter of Tajikistan's labor force works outside the country. Between 2022 and 2025, migrant remittances averaged nearly half of the country's gross domestic product. Russia remains the main destination for labor migration. What the New Law Changes Under the new law, Tajikistan's migration authorities will establish a register of foreign employers, with ratings based on their treatment of workers, including wages and working conditions. Migrants will be able to submit complaints, which will be considered when employers are assessed. The authorities will also have the power to restrict cooperation with companies that violate workers' rights. The legislation also provides for online platforms where migrants can find vacancies and sign employment contracts electronically. Citizens who arrange their own employment abroad, rather than using recruitment agencies, are entitled to free advice from migration officials about vacancies and working conditions in their destination country. Another provision requires the authorities to set quotas for workers going to different countries and determine how the system will operate. The law also establishes a unified information system to improve migration records and data exchange between government agencies. Many of these measures focus on organized recruitment, which currently accounts for only a small proportion of Tajikistan's labor migration. In 2025, a total of 35,747 Tajik citizens found jobs abroad through 30 licensed organizations, including more than 31,000 in Russia. According to official figures from Dushanbe, more than 702,000 people left the country to work abroad that year. Although the figures are not directly comparable, placements through licensed agencies amounted to only around 5% of reported departures. Russia and the Search for Alternatives Following the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall near Moscow in March 2024, Russian authorities tightened migration controls. A register of foreign nationals without legal grounds to remain in Russia has been in operation since February 2025. Those listed face restrictions on financial transactions and property registration. In July 2026, Tajikistan's Deputy Minister of Labor, Migration, and Employment of the Population Sharif Norzoda reported that approximately 160,000 Tajik citizens were on the register, including about 25,000 minors. During discussions of the new legislation, Labor Minister Soleha Kholmahmadzoda stressed the need to expand the range of countries where Tajik citizens can find work. Dushanbe is holding talks on employment opportunities in Kazakhstan, the Gulf states, South Korea, Japan, and the United Kingdom. However, Russia's labor market remains considerably larger than those of these alternative destinations. Jobs for Returning Migrants The new law provides for assistance to citizens returning home, including vocational training and help finding employment....

Migration

Russia Expels 32 Uzbek Migrants as Deportations Rise in Novosibirsk

Russian authorities expelled 32 Uzbek citizens from the Novosibirsk region on October 16 for violating migration regulations. Court bailiffs escorted a reported total of 47 foreign nationals out of the country that day, including citizens of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan. Over the course of the week, 91 people were expelled from the region. The migrants were identified during police raids in two districts of Novosibirsk and the surrounding Novosibirsky district. Those expelled paid for their own tickets home. Violations of Russia's entry and residence regulations can result in fines ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 rubles (approximately $25–62), as well as administrative expulsion. Under Russian law, expulsion generally also means a five-year ban on re-entering the country. Expulsions from the region have risen sharply. By mid-September 2026, authorities had expelled 1,524 foreign nationals from the Novosibirsk region, compared with 958 during the same period a year earlier, an increase of approximately 59%. Uzbek citizens account for a substantial share of those expelled. By July, authorities had removed 618 Uzbeks out of a total of 1,314 foreign nationals, or approximately 47%. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan were the next most frequently represented countries. The increase in expulsions comes as fewer foreign workers are obtaining work permits in the region. According to figures presented to regional lawmakers, approximately 27,000 work patents were issued in the first eight months of 2026, down from 34,000 during the same period last year. Russia is also tightening national requirements for migrant workers and their families. In July, Russia enacted legislation requiring migrant workers to demonstrate that they can financially support themselves and dependent family members. The changes also require children covered by the provisions who turn 18 to obtain their own work patent or another legal basis to remain in Russia. The main provisions take effect on January 1, 2027. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, work-related entries into Russia by citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan fell by approximately 15% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.

Labor Migration

Kyrgyzstan Expands Foreign Worker Quotas While Citizens Work Abroad

Kyrgyzstan plans to allow up to 120,000 foreign nationals to work in the country in 2027, even as more than 700,000 of its own citizens have worked abroad this year. Although official estimates are lower than four years ago, the country remains heavily dependent on money sent home by migrant workers, particularly those in Russia. According to the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kyrgyzstan received approximately $3.5 billion in transfers from abroad in 2025, more than 90% of which came from Russia. The Ministry of Labor, Social Security, and Migration reported that 736,600 citizens had worked abroad so far in 2026, compared with 798,400 in 2025. The largest group, more than 472,000 people, was reported to be in Russia in March. Approximately 70,000 were working in Kazakhstan, 60,000 in the United States, 35,000 in Turkey, and 20,000 in Germany. In 2022, the authorities estimated that 1.118 million Kyrgyz citizens were working abroad, including more than one million in Russia. However, the figures do not establish exactly how many people have returned home and how many have moved to other countries for work. Russia has tightened its migration requirements and stepped up enforcement of residency regulations. In a report covering the second half of 2025, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) found that 94% of emigrants surveyed had left to find employment or better economic opportunities. Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev discussed these changes in labor migration during a parliamentary committee meeting on October 13. According to Kulubaev, more Kyrgyz citizens are choosing Turkey and the U.S. for employment, while demand for workers from Kyrgyzstan remains strong in South Korea and Japan. He said representatives from some European countries had offered to accept workers from Kyrgyzstan on the condition that the country accommodate migrants from Afghanistan and African nations. Kulubaev did not disclose which countries had made the offer, saying only that Bishkek rejected the proposal. There has been no public confirmation of the arrangement from the European participants in the negotiations. Within Kyrgyzstan, the unemployment rate fell from 5.8% in 2020 to 3.2% in 2025. The decline coincided with growth in construction, trade, and services, although employment figures alone do not show how much wages have increased or how many former migrants have found jobs at home. During a recent visit to the Batken region, President Sadyr Japarov again urged citizens working abroad to return home. The initial quota for foreign nationals arriving to work in Kyrgyzstan for 2025 was 25,000 people. The limit was raised to 100,000 for 2026. Expanding the quota allows businesses to recruit more employees from abroad, particularly for construction, manufacturing, and other industries where employers face staffing needs. According to the Ministry of Labor, by December 2025, approximately 18,900 Chinese, 11,700 Bangladeshis, and 8,300 Pakistanis had received work permits. An IOM study conducted in the first half of 2025 found a substantial presence of workers from Uzbekistan, approximately 10,800 people. The largest numbers of foreign workers covered by the survey were in the Jalal-Abad region,...

Migrant Resettlement

Kyrgyzstan Rejects European Migrant Resettlement Proposals

Kyrgyzstan has repeatedly rejected proposals from several European countries to accept migrants from Afghanistan and African countries, Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev said on October 13. In exchange, those countries had offered employment opportunities for Kyrgyzstan’s skilled workers. He said Bishkek would not negotiate on those terms. Kulubaev did not specify which countries had made the proposals or how many migrants Kyrgyzstan had been asked to accept. No European government has publicly confirmed such an offer. On October 1, the Council of the European Union adopted new rules for returning foreign nationals who have no legal right to remain in its member states. The rules allow countries to establish migrant return centers outside the bloc under agreements with third countries. Such arrangements must comply with international human rights protections, including the prohibition on sending people to countries where they face persecution or ill-treatment. Similar arrangements have been discussed elsewhere in Central Asia. On May 7, Austria and Uzbekistan signed an agreement to cooperate on deportations during a visit by Austria’s foreign and interior ministers to Tashkent. The deal also provided for greater cooperation on legal employment opportunities for skilled workers from Uzbekistan. Unlike the proposals described by Kulubaev, the Austrian arrangement envisaged Uzbekistan as a potential transit route for Afghan nationals being returned from Austria, rather than a place of resettlement. Kyrgyzstan is reassessing its own approach to labor migration. According to Kulubaev, growing numbers of its citizens are choosing Turkey and the United States as destinations for work. South Korea and Japan are also interested in recruiting workers from Kyrgyzstan, particularly staff to care for elderly patients in hospitals. Bishkek has reduced the organized placement of its citizens in long-term jobs abroad while continuing to facilitate seasonal employment. Kulubaev said Kyrgyzstan also faces labor shortages at home. Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Labor, Social Security, and Migration said 736,600 citizens had worked abroad so far in 2026, compared with 798,400 during the whole of 2025. Russia remains the main destination, with more than 472,000 citizens of Kyrgyzstan living there in March. Approximately 70,000 were working in Kazakhstan, 60,000 in the U.S., 35,000 in Turkey, and 20,000 in Germany.

Labor Migration to Russia

Uzbekistan Proposes One-Stop Center for Migrant Workers Heading to Russia

Uzbekistan has proposed establishing a one-stop center where citizens planning to work in Russia could complete key migration procedures before departure. The initiative was discussed at a meeting between Uzbekistan Migration Agency Director Muhsinxo‘ja Abdurahmonov and Russian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Alexey Yerkhov. The Migration Agency also wants Russian-language examinations to be available in the regions so applicants do not have to travel to Tashkent. It said the necessary infrastructure has been prepared in four regions. Uzbekistan is proposing that citizens travel to Russia for specific vacancies. Prospective workers would know their employer and working conditions in advance. In 2025, Tashkent and Moscow considered conducting medical examinations and Russian-language tests at branches of Russian universities in Tashkent and Jizzakh. The latest initiative comes as work-related travel from Uzbekistan to Russia has declined. In January-June 2026, Uzbek citizens made more than 1.1 million entries into Russia declaring work as the purpose of their trip, down 13.2% from a year earlier. Across Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, work-related entries fell by about 15%, from more than 2.3 million to 1.9 million. The figures count border crossings rather than individual workers, meaning the same person can be counted more than once. Despite fewer work-related entries into Russia, cross-border remittances to Uzbekistan reached $9.3 billion in the first half of 2026, up 13% year-on-year. The Central Bank attributed the increase to sustained demand for labor and relatively high wages in traditional destination countries for Uzbek migrant workers, as well as the strengthening of national currencies. The Central Bank also pointed to signs of diversification in the geography of labor migration. Transfers from the United Kingdom increased by 62% year-on-year, those from European Union countries by 27%, and those from the United States by 19%.