Can residents of Kazakhstan get to Russia from other countries?
Citizens of Kazakhstan can enter the Russian Federation from those countries with which Russia has restored regular passenger flights. There are no restrictions for Kazakhstanis.
Now you can fly from Russia to Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Egypt, Maldives, UAE, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Korea, Cuba, Serbia, Japan, Seychelles, Ethiopia, Vietnam, India, Qatar, Finland, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Greece, Singapore, Venezuela, Germany, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka.
Air traffic to the UK and Turkey is suspended until June 1, 2021, and to Tanzania for an indefinite period.
When entering Russia, a certificate with a negative result of a COVID-19 PCR test, issued no earlier than 72 hours, is required.
Will Kazakhstanis go to Russian cities to sweep yards?
Our observer’s questions are answered by Elena Kuzmina, head of the sector of the Center for Post-Soviet Studies at the National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations. EAT. Primakov Russian Academy of Sciences
***
– Elena Mikhailovna, you are an expert on labor market issues in the EAEU countries. Regarding the problems of its flow. Are there any new trends here in relation to Kazakhstan? As is known, it is the only one in the Eurasian Union that is both a “donor” and a “recipient” in this market at the same time. What are the current dynamics here now?
– This current dynamics began to appear in 2015. After crisis phenomena, political and economic, including because 2015 is a fall in prices for hydrocarbons and metals - the main export goods of Russia and Kazakhstan and a fall in the ruble, and, accordingly, a fall in the exchange rate of the national currencies of most post-Soviet states. These are the changes in the incomes of countries that followed in connection with the above circumstances, and, accordingly, the incomes of the population and labor migrants, in particular. In relation to Kazakhstan, this new dynamic is also dual. On the one hand, there is a very large outflow of the population for permanent residence from Kazakhstan to Russia and slightly less to other countries. Moreover, we are talking not only about Russians or Slavs. We are talking generally about citizens of Kazakhstan. On the other hand, the influx of population, primarily seasonal workers, from Kyrgyzstan to Kazakhstan has increased. And in general, there are more labor migrants from Central Asia here, if we take it a little more broadly. More migrant workers from the region began to travel to Kazakhstan. And even in 2017, when the economic situation and the situation with the ruble somewhat stabilized, this trend did not stop.
Eurasian countries: each acts as best it can 05/14/2021 09:004713
Well, plus one more feature: qualified personnel from Kazakhstan and Belarus began to come to Russia more actively.
– Here’s an interesting point. A week ago, another Russian expert, Bogdan Bezpalko, told me that a huge number of guest workers come from Belarus to Russia because there is poverty in Belarus, there is no work, and so on. I am not suggesting that you refute or confirm his assessments. But in your opinion, do Belarusian-Russian and Kazakh-Russian migration flows have similarities? Or are there more differences?
– Well, the general trend here is that, firstly, qualified personnel are coming to Russia from both countries. Secondly, the general trend is that a certain part of people go to Russia for permanent residence. And from Belarus too. True, the flows from there are smaller than from Kazakhstan. Still, there is more real labor migration from Belarus. This is what is common, but, of course, each country has its own characteristics. Another feature of the Eurasian Union space is that it is easier for citizens of the EAEU member states in Russia to obtain a patent or, in general, any paper related to labor migration. There is no need to pass such a large number of exams that migrants from other post-Soviet countries take. For most specialties, national diplomas should be recognized within the EAEU. This also has its advantages. The minimum social benefits for migrant workers in the receiving country are the same as for national agents. And plus you don’t have to leave the country every three months in order to extend your stay. In addition, after 90 days of stay in Russia, the tax regime changes for citizens of the Eurasian Union. That is, if in the first three months the regime of an ordinary labor migrant is in effect, providing for a 30 percent tax for individual entrepreneurs, then after 90 days migrants from the EAEU countries receive Eurasian status, which corresponds to the national one, and they pay individual taxes in the amount of 13 percent. This, of course, plays a fairly big role. Then, it is easier for businessmen from the EAEU to register companies on Russian territory. Of course, I painted you the perfect picture. This is what is allowed by law. But anything can happen locally. But if a person who comes to Russia to work knows the laws well, he will be able to get all this.
By the way, the Belarusian-Russian situation differs from the Kazakh-Russian one in that Russia and Belarus have a Union State, within the framework of which all issues with pensions have been resolved. That is, no matter where you work, in Russia or Belarus, you will receive a basic pension in any case. Today, the Eurasian Commission is working on a similar agreement on pension provision for the Eurasian Union. But, since this affects a fairly large number of issues related not only to pensions, coordination at the national level takes quite a long time. A lot of departments must give their go-ahead in each country. Presumably, this agreement could be signed by the end of this year. Let's see. Perhaps, again, an unforeseen force majeure will arise in the negotiation process and everything will be postponed to 2021.
– I know many Kazakhstanis working in Russia. These are mostly young people or middle-aged people. Some of them have been living in Moscow or St. Petersburg for many years, but are simply too lazy to change their citizenship. This probably suggests that the integration between our countries is actually deep. The absence of Russian citizenship does not “pressure” anywhere and does not prevent a person from Kazakhstan from living in Russia.
A book about freedom 05/24/2021 07:001883
– These are two different categories of people. Changing citizenship is one thing. And labor migrants are people who go to work in one country or another.
– Well, here’s a person with a Kazakh passport who graduated from a Russian university. After that I found a job in Russia. And he works for himself. Remaining a citizen of Kazakhstan. Is he a labor migrant? Or which one?
– He is a labor migrant, of course. And if he receives citizenship, he is already a citizen of Russia and lives completely according to Russian laws. He is a resident of the Russian Federation in both the Tax Inspectorate and the Pension Fund.
Ideally, it is assumed that in the Eurasian Union all labor migrants from member states will be treated as national residents. But you understand that this process has just begun, and, given that these are five countries, the negotiation process is going very slowly, because each side is trying to protect its citizens, its labor markets, and the economy of its country. There are a lot of issues that need to be agreed upon here. But, I repeat, those who work in Russia with a Kazakh passport are, of course, labor migrants. Some of them are too lazy to obtain Russian citizenship, while others, for one reason or another, cannot or do not want to obtain it. The main task here is that on the scale of the entire EAEU it does not matter what kind of passport you have. That is, general rules of the game in the labor migration market must be established. When in any of the countries of the Eurasian Union a person will be able to get a job without extra paperwork in any member state. And he will pay certain taxes, have social protection, including pensions.
Already today, as I mentioned, the number of papers at entry has been reduced. Already today, children of migrants from EAEU states have the right to study for free in Russian schools. There were certain problems with this before. There are already documents according to which guest workers have the right to mandatory first aid and a certain social package. Moreover, we are talking not only about the migrant himself, but also about his family members.
Striking couriers and games of the Ministry of Health with statistics 05/19/2021 14:002908
- Fine. Elena Mikhailovna, what do we have with the Uzbeks? They are traditionally labor suppliers. Including to Kazakhstan. But now there are big changes in Uzbekistan. Everyone talks about them. Did these changes somehow affect our topic - the labor market?
– I can say that there are certain agreements between Russia and Uzbekistan. There are no agreements yet between Uzbekistan and the Eurasian Union. And most of the Uzbek migrants, if they go to the Eurasian Union, they go to Russia. It is clear that quite a lot goes to Kazakhstan, but this is not comparable in volume to Russia. But I can only say about what concerns Russia. Today, special government structures have been created in Uzbekistan that will deal with labor migrants. In addition, there are now several quite successful pilot projects between St. Petersburg and some regions of Uzbekistan, within the framework of which migrants travel to the region purposefully, that is, a specific number, for specific industries. And, accordingly, when migrants arrive, they receive work, a normal package of social protection, and legislative protection.
– Well, this is an old Soviet practice. So back in the 1980s, Vietnamese were imported to Moscow automobile factories.
– This format works quite well. In any case, these migrants can be taken into account by both Russian and Uzbek official bodies, and in this case the migrants themselves are more protected.
- Yes, sure.
“They are paid an agreed salary, and in general they have a reliable “security package,” which is important for migrants. And it is also important for the receiving country: the migrant labor market is brought out of the shadows, tax collection is better, and the ability to maintain security. It is expected that this experience will be more widely extended to other regions of Russia. It is quite possible that something similar could happen within the framework of the Eurasian Union, but for now Uzbekistan prefers to work in a bilateral format.
Belarusian Front: Which side is Kazakhstan on? 05/26/2021 16:30719
– Are there no trends in Uzbekistan itself to increase the number of jobs? After all, the new progressive president took it upon himself to reform the economy there. New industries are being created and old ones are being revived.
– Firstly, a huge number of contracts have been concluded within the country. Over the entire period of time, accumulated investments with Russia alone amounted to $9 billion, and during the last visit of the Russian President to Uzbekistan, documents worth $24 billion were signed. That is, investments have increased two and a half times. There we are really talking about new production and even the creation of new industries. Uzbekistan concludes agreements not only with us, but also with China and a number of Asian countries. With the same Japan. Of course, more new jobs will appear in the country.
Another point. In Russia we need not just labor, we need qualified labor. We are talking about teaching citizens of Uzbekistan not only the Russian language, but also training specialists, if possible on the territory of Uzbekistan itself. That is, bring people from there with one qualification or another. This also unloads the labor market. It is quite possible that such experience will eventually be extended to the Eurasian Union or Kazakhstan. It’s just that our flows are slightly different in the sense that, after all, more people go to Kazakhstan from Central Asia for seasonal work. In Russia there is a wider range of industries where Uzbek migrants work, so it is more important for us that these are people with qualifications. If Kazakhstan also has such needs, perhaps Kazakhstan will also try to train the workforce on the territory of Uzbekistan.
– But the Kazakh situation on the labor market, as we have already said, is ambiguous. Kazakhstan not only receives labor, but also “gives”. Moreover, from 2021 in the republic the number of young people who have entered working age will increase significantly. What is expected, as experts say, is a “demographic bump.” The increase, as far as I understand, is primarily coming from Kazakh youth and primarily from rural areas. A completely Uzbek situation may arise. There will be an excess of unskilled labor that will need to be “pushed” abroad.
Little victorious war 05/13/2021 13:004781
– I think that this labor market will really be reformatted. Perhaps some part of the labor force will actually be displaced. But there is some peculiarity here. In Kazakhstan, unlike Uzbekistan, the majority of the population lives in cities.
- About half. 54 percent, I think.
“But it’s still the majority.” So the situation is significantly different from the Uzbek one. If there is a surplus of labor in Kazakhstan, it will largely be the urban labor force, urban youth. In Russia, on the contrary, there is a “demographic failure” ahead, precisely during this period. In Belarus, as far as I know, a demographic decline is also expected, associated with all the negative processes that took place in the 90s and early 2000s. And therefore, I think that some redistribution and flow of labor resources within the EAEU is indeed possible here.
– That is, we can say that Kazakhstan is facing some kind of “Uzbekization.” It cannot be ruled out that Kazakhs will soon go to sweep yards in Russian cities and work on construction sites.
– Perhaps there will be a greater influx of labor migrants from Kazakhstan to Russia. But I cannot say that this will necessarily be “Uzbekization.” Much depends on what Kazakhstan itself will develop and what its needs will be. Because moving a person to another country and looking for work there is not always a joyful process. In addition, in other Central Asian countries, population growth is much more intense than in Kazakhstan. And the flow of labor to Russia from its neighbors will only grow.
– Simply put, it will be better for everyone if Kazakhstan begins to actively build factories, create new production facilities, and so on, so that “extra people” cease to be superfluous.
– Well, to put it simply, then yes. However, I will repeat once again: the Kazakh situation is significantly different from the Uzbek one. From Uzbekistan, the majority of migrant workers go to work in Russia (and Kazakhstan, by the way, too), mainly in only two industries. These are agriculture and construction. Everything else is there, but very little. The spectrum of labor migration from Kazakhstan to Russia is different. How it will change and how seriously – it is still premature to say now.
***
© ZONAkz, 2021 Reproduction is prohibited. Only a hyperlink to the material is allowed.
Border between Russia and Kazakhstan: entry rules
Since September last year, air traffic between the countries has been open. Flights from Moscow to Nur-Sultan are operated by Aeroflot and Air Astana.
It is not yet possible to cross the land border by car or by rail.
Rules have been established for Russian citizens arriving in the Republic of Kazakhstan. This:
- Passing thermometry at the airport.
- Questioning.
- Providing a PCR test no older than 5 days.
Foreign citizens arriving without a PCR test are tested on site. Citizens of Kazakhstan also take a Covid test within 48 hours.
Thus, according to the rules, citizens of the Russian Federation are required to pass a PCR test in order to enter the Republic of Kazakhstan.
A foreign passport for Russians planning a trip to Kazakhstan is not needed; it is enough to have an internal Russian passport.
The border of Kazakhstan is open to the entry of Russians on the principle of reciprocity. The opportunity to enter Kazakhstan by road or rail will appear when the Russian government fully opens its borders and decides to resume communications with Kazakhstan.
Migration: minds are leaving Kazakhstan, and unskilled labor is arriving
“The standard of living of the population is falling, a new wave of emigration has begun in Kazakhstan ,” noted Bulat Sultanov, director of the Institute of Migrants and RS of KNU, during the international scientific conference “Migrants and issues of their inclusion in the states of the Eurasian space.” In the 90s of the last century, the Republic of Kazakhstan was a country of origin (the 1994 record was 447 thousand emigrants), in the “zero years” it became a country of reception, and currently it has two guises - immigrants come here and emigrants leave.
Opening the event, organized by the Research Institute for International and Regional Cooperation of the Kazakh-German University and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (Germany), they expressed condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack in Manchester.
“Every person wants to live well, with dignity, in peaceful conditions”
,” emphasized Kerstin Kaiser, head of the FRL branch in the Russian Federation.
Well, in reality, the modern agenda is trying to understand “to what extent can the welfare state be removed without popular protest”
and
“to what extent can the new liberal order be similar to a slave society?”
Translated on the topic of migration, it can be formulated as follows: to what extent is a migrant ready to put up with paralysis of his rights for the sake of economic survival?
Bulat Sultanov reported that in the years after the collapse of the USSR, 4.1 million people left Kazakhstan. If we take ethnic Germans as a focus group, then out of 990 thousand people, 150 thousand live in the republic today, mostly from mixed families. The speaker gave an overview of the statements and assessments of various domestic experts, the essence of which can be summed up in the fact that minds are leaving Kazakhstan, and unskilled labor is arriving. The devaluation of the tenge, which led to half of the impoverishment and the lack of social elevators, the language factor maintains the disparity in migration replacement.
Why do teenagers take up weapons and go kill 05/14/2021 13:303661
“Between Congo and Bangladesh – Kazakhstan ranks in terms of average life expectancy”
,” Mr. Sultanov pointed out. Since the Republic of Kazakhstan lags behind Russia in education, health care, and social security, the main place of emigration from the republic is consistently its northern neighbor.
Dina Malysheva, head of the Central Asia sector at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, provided some figures. In terms of the number of foreign migrants, the Russian Federation in 2021, with 11.9 million people, ranked third in the world after the United States and Germany. 85% of immigrants are citizens of the CIS. More than 50% of the current flow comes from Ukraine, followed by Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Armenia.
During the discussion, different assessments and opinions were expressed regarding the law “On the legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation.” Having been adopted in 2002, it was changed 60 (!) times. Not dramatically, but still. Some researchers see this state of affairs as an inconsistent state policy towards labor migrants, while others, on the contrary, call the current practice flexible and operational, aimed at regulating the economy’s need for labor based on specific circumstances. The main regions for attracting foreign labor are Moscow, Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Leningrad region and Sverdlovsk region.
The question of whether it is possible to assess migration to the country of destination or from the country of origin as a whole remains open. Most likely not, since for different specific social groups, layers and strata the ratio of pros and cons will be different. For example, for the bigwigs of the construction business, a lot of additional cheap labor is beneficial, but for the same Russian builders they will be competitors in the labor market, used to lower wages.
Dombr 05/25/2021 09:001827
«Labor migration is useful when the economy is growing, and it is harmful when the economy is stagnating or declining, as it is now in the Russian Federation,”
– said Renat Karimov, chairman of the trade union of migrant workers (Moscow).
He noted: “There is no direct connection between economic growth and migrant flows.
In Russia, it’s not just migrant workers who are offended, but workers in general.” Saodat Olimova, director of the research center, examined the impact of labor migration on the experience of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. In these countries, the ratio of guest worker remittances to GDP is approximately the same. In Tajikistan, at one time, remittances from labor migrants were equivalent to 51% of the country’s GDP. After Russia's economic problems due to sanctions and confrontation with the West, their volume fell to 33%.
The main difference between the models of the two labor exporters is that in Kyrgyzstan, remittances largely contribute to the development of the local economy: the clothing industry, the agro-industrial complex, the food industry, the production of construction materials and others. Whereas in Tajikistan, income from labor exports covers the import of Chinese and other goods. Under the second model, the state abdicates social responsibility, and people pay out of their own pockets for medicine and asphalt at home. Along the way, the government is becoming more and more authoritarian. “Over 10 years, remittances alone have reduced poverty in Tajikistan by 2.5 times”
, – this is one of the positive aspects of the situation.
“In Kazakhstan, in some years, more than a million guest workers entered the labor market. They provided 10-12% of economic growth"
,” said Elena Sadovskaya, an expert at the Research Council on Migration of the CIS Countries. Today, the protection of the rights of labor migrants from Kazakhstan has become relevant.
Participants in the scientific conference used different figures on educational migration. Thus, Galia Movkebaeva, director of the Center for Eurasian Studies at KazNU. al-Farabi spoke about 12.5 thousand students annually leaving Kazakhstan for Russia to study. Bulat Sultanov named 69 thousand citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan studying at Russian universities and their Kazakh branches. Elena Sadovskaya cited data from the Russian Migration Service, according to which 78 thousand people from Kazakhstan are studying in Russia.
Rustam Burnashev, professor at KNU, focused on the Central Asian migration subsystem. If we consider it together with Russia, as the main receiving country, then we already have a migration system. So, in the subsystem, Kazakhstan has the functions of a host country and a transit country on the way to the Russian Federation. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are the sending countries. Turkmenistan is also a sending state, but it has significant specifics due to the visa regime with its neighbors.
War of the Worlds. Promised Land-Rocket 05/19/2021 07:003044
“Profit maximization in the short term is the dominant attitude for everyone,”
– Mr. Burnashev emphasized. In all countries of the Central Asian region, migration leads to a decline in the quality of human resources, including in Kazakhstan, where more people with higher and secondary education leave than enter.
Igor Savin, who works at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and at the South Kazakhstan State University, spoke about the phenomena that “forbidden people”
on the territory of Kazakhstan. “Prohibitors” are citizens of Central Asian states who, due to violations of the migration legislation of the Russian Federation, are denied entry into this country for a long period of time. If people from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan do not have money for an air ticket, then they travel to Russia through the territory of Kazakhstan. There are already 1.7 million “banners,” so when border guards do not allow them into the Russian Federation, this category of people begins unpleasant “adventures” on the territory of Kazakhstan (here they are allowed to stay for 5 days without registration).
“Sexual exploitation in Kazakhstan is easy to prove, but labor exploitation is difficult,”
– Mr. Savin said.
“The vicious practice was not created by migrants, but migrants are forced to integrate into it
,” he emphasized.
Little victorious war 05/13/2021 13:004781
“Migration processes cannot be blamed on tsarism and the Soviet period in the countries of the region
, noted Bulat Sultanov.
– Let's look at the root of the problem: why are people fleeing Central Asia and fleeing to Russia?
It is not people’s fault that they have been plunged for more than 25 years into the processes raging in the post-Soviet space, where the authorities cannot create normal living conditions.” ***
© ZONAkz, 2017. Reproduction is prohibited. Only a hyperlink to the material is allowed.
What requirements do tourists need to fulfill when entering Kazakhstan?
Everyone, except children under 5 years old, crossing the Russian-Kazakh border must provide a PCR test, passed no earlier than 72 hours before the moment of presentation.
The following have priority rights of passage across land borders:
- Diplomatic staff.
- Airline employees, members of train and locomotive crews, drivers.
- Family members of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.
- Residence permit holders.
- Baikonur Cosmodrome workers and military personnel.
- Persons who need to enter the country in connection with the funeral of a close relative.
- For medical reasons: travel voucher, referral for surgery, etc.
- Students of some educational institutions.
A complete list of stateless persons who have the right to cross the Russian-Kazakh border is posted on the website of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan.
