Situational Brief on the Russian Federation – EN

The Russian Federation continues to be a major destination country for Central Asian labour migrants. There were nearly 5 million Central Asians living in the Russian Federation in 2019, mainly coming from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan in order to seek employment opportunities. Men continue to make up the majority of Central Asian migrants in Russia, but the number of women is increasing. The Moscow metropolitan area attracts the largest number of Central Asian migrants, but their destinations also include other large cities across Russia. Central Asian labour migrants are a largely vulnerable population in Russia, with some of the major difficulties including precarious legal status, economic vulnerabilities, ethnic and racial discrimination, and inaccessible healthcare services. Russia’s immigration laws are complex and subject to frequent changes. Bureaucracy and high costs explain why many (estimated to be up to 2/3) Central Asian migrants have irregular legal status (e.g., lacking residential registration and/or work permit) and therefore are often more marginalized and exploited by their employers and law enforcement officials. Legal precarity and discrimination affect migrants’ daily lives and hinder their access to resources including health care.