What are the objectives of the International Migration Forum?

In the current era of globalization, migration has become one of the most pressing socio-economic processes worldwide. Labor migration, in particular, affects the economies of many countries and plays an important role in the lives of millions of people.

In Uzbekistan, migration is also a priority area for state policy. Accordingly, several measures are being taken in the country to protect the rights of our citizens working abroad, provide them with social and legal assistance, and organize safe and legal labor migration. UzA correspondent discussed these issues with Islomjon Khamroyev, department head at the Migration Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers.

– Would you please tell us which countries the agency is currently effectively cooperating with in the field of labor migration? What work is being carried out to expand the geography of migration?

– Providing our compatriots with legal, decent, and well-paid jobs abroad, protecting their rights and interests, and expanding the geography of migration are among our main goals. Accordingly, we are paying special attention to the legal employment of our citizens in high-income jobs across the labor markets of the European Union, including the Nordic countries, the United States, and Japan. The agency has developed a comprehensive program to send 50,000 citizens to work in the Nordic countries by 2030. We have held mutually beneficial meetings on migration issues with the embassies of Italy, Czech Republic, Korea, and the United States, the employment ministries of Slovakia, Türkiye, Belarus, and Bashkortostan, the administrations of Tyumen, Grodno, and Namwon, the agrarian agencies of Italy, Slovenia, the United States, and Türkiye, the ILO, the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development, and the German Economic Association.

Recently, an agreement was reached with Honchos LLC and USA Farm Labor to attract seasonal workers to the United States under the H-2A visa program. Applications have been received, and the process is being established step by step. Notably, agreements have been signed with 47,000 organizations in Europe, 13,000 in the Asia-Pacific region, 6,000 in the Middle East and Gulf states, 36,000 in CIS countries, 5 organizations in Italy, 2 in the United States, and 1 each in Spain and France to attract citizens for seasonal agricultural work. Orders have been received in these countries for 10,000 agricultural specialists for jobs that do not require high qualifications, with a duration of up to one year.

– What mechanisms have been introduced to provide our citizens with legal, safe employment abroad?

– Several legal, organizational, and preventive mechanisms have been introduced in the Republic of Uzbekistan to ensure legal and safe employment for citizens abroad. In particular, the Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution of April 22, 2025, established a comprehensive system for preparing citizens who wish to work temporarily abroad, sending them abroad in an organized manner, and protecting their rights. In accordance with this resolution, adaptation and orientation activities are conducted with citizens before they are sent abroad for work. They receive explanations on labor legislation, migration rules, living and working conditions, safety rules, the procedure for obtaining legal protection abroad, and the consequences of illegal labor migration.

Citizens are sent abroad only through approved employers and official employment contracts. Employment contracts clearly define wages, working hours, living conditions, medical insurance, transportation, and other social guarantees.

Improving the professional and language skills of citizens going abroad for work is also important. When citizens are sent to certain countries, foreign-language and vocational training courses are organized for them, and a system for obtaining international certificates has been introduced.

Representative offices of the Migration Agency operate in foreign countries to protect citizens’ rights abroad. Through these offices, work is carried out to resolve labor disputes, negotiate with employers, provide legal assistance, and support citizens facing difficult situations.

At the same time, mechanisms for subsidies, compensation, and preferential financial assistance have also been introduced to provide social support to citizens working abroad. In particular, procedures have been established to cover travel expenses to certain countries and to partially compensate for the costs of language learning and vocational training.

– How is the system for providing legal assistance to our citizens abroad organized?

– The Migration Agency has established several communication channels to promptly receive and consider appeals from Uzbeks abroad and, where necessary, provide practical legal assistance. In particular, calls to the agency’s short hotline number 1282 from all countries worldwide are free of charge via the information center, telephone, and a special application. A special application has been introduced in the form of an SOS button on the www.xorijdaish.uz platform. Through these communication channels, citizens can submit appeals regarding labor migration, legal assistance, documentation, return issues, and other problems. In addition, a system for receiving appeals through several social networks has also been introduced.

These systems enable constant communication with citizens abroad, receive appeals centrally, and promptly consider them.

– What results have been achieved in recent years? What problems remain pressing?

– In 2025, remittances totaling $18.9 billion were sent to our country by citizens working abroad. This is 28 percent higher than in the same period last year. Unfortunately, despite measures to organize labor activity abroad, some problems remain pressing. In particular, one of the main problems is the activity of consulting and intermediary organizations that place people in jobs abroad without a license. There have been cases in which such organizations send citizens to foreign countries without official employment contracts and without fully explaining working conditions and legal guarantees.

As a result, upon arrival in foreign countries, some citizens are drawn into illegal labor or fall into irregular status due to violations of visa or migration requirements. This leads to difficult social and working conditions, violations of their labor rights, non-payment of wages, deportation, and being left without legal protection.

The presence of citizens in foreign countries with irregular status negatively affects the international image of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In some countries, there are also cases of tightened migration procedures, additional restrictions, and declining trust in Uzbek labor migrants.

For this reason, it is important to strengthen controls against unlicensed organizations, raise citizens’ legal awareness, and send them abroad only through official, guaranteed labor channels.

Based on this, several practical measures are being taken to protect citizens from the activities of illegal intermediaries and unlicensed consulting organizations. In particular, control measures have been strengthened to identify organizations operating without a license in the field of employment abroad and to end their activities. Inspections are being conducted in response to citizen appeals, and economic and administrative measures are being applied against organizations engaged in illegal activities.

At the same time, special attention is being paid to awareness-raising and warning activities among the population. Through the media, social networks, mahallas, and regional branches, regular outreach is being conducted to inform citizens that they should seek work abroad only through official and licensed organizations.

– The International Migration Forum will be held in Tashkent on May 18-19. What is the purpose of hosting this prestigious forum in Uzbekistan?

– Next week, the Tashkent International Migration Forum will be held in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Migration Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan. More than 300 representatives from international organizations, government agencies, business circles, and the expert community are expected to participate in this prestigious event.

The main purpose of organizing the forum in our country is to strengthen international cooperation on migration and to develop a safe, orderly, and regular migration system.

The forum aims to strengthen dialogue on migration issues between Central Asian countries and international organizations, protect the rights and interests of labor migrants, combat human trafficking, illegal migration, and labor exploitation, improve mechanisms for providing social and legal assistance to migrants, identify new areas of cooperation for safe and legal labor migration, and present Uzbekistan’s migration reforms and experience on the international stage.

In short, this forum will serve as an important platform to enhance Uzbekistan’s standing in international migration policy and to discuss initiatives to create decent and safe conditions for citizens working abroad.

Interviewed by Guzal Sattorova, UzA