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%.