President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed a decree on adoption of measures aimed at improving the migration situation in the republic. This is one of the first five decrees of the new head of state.
It was adopted to stabilize migration processes, mitigate and minimize the negative consequences of migration. Sadyr Japarov determined a comprehensive support of labor migrants in the host countries, as well as protection of the interests and rights of migrants’ families in Kyrgyzstan as the primary task.
To this end, the Government must step up their work on protection of the rights and interests of labor migrants abroad. In addition, the Cabinet of ministers must promptly develop and submit for consideration a draft concept of the country’s migration policy.
From now on, investment projects for development of new industries in the regions of Kyrgyzstan with the highest level of migration outflow of the population will be implemented as a priority. There will be a special tax regime for job creation.
By the end of June 2021, a program (instruments) will be developed and adopted to stimulate labor migrants and their families to invest in the national economy.
In addition, a program will be adopted to support employment of citizens both in the domestic and foreign labor markets, depending on the scenarios of development of the economy of Kyrgyzstan and countries of labor migration designation.
The country will complete adoption of by-laws for implementation of Meken-Card initiative.
This card will give its holder equal rights with citizens of Kyrgyzstan to freely enter and leave the country without a visa, to receive educational and medical services, as well as to live and work in the Kyrgyz Republic without a residence permit and work permit.
Measures will be taken to adapt and reintegrate labor migrants returning to Kyrgyzstan.
In addition, it is planned to legislatively protect the rights of children of labor migrants and even include the term «children of labor migrants» into the country’s legislation with guarantees of their state protection. The authorities also want to develop a mechanism that would allow parents to notify the child protection services that they are leaving to work and leave their children in Kyrgyzstan. It is proposed to do this in order to be able to monitor the life situation of the child. At the same time, the responsibility of parents who leave their children without determining guardians and trustees and without notifying the child protection service will be toughened, as well as the responsibility of guardians and trustees for failure to fulfill their obligations.
Sadyr Japarov proposes to provide a possibility of simplified obtaining of Kyrgyz citizenship.
This is done to regulate the legal status of ethnic Kyrgyz. The opportunity will be provided to a limited category of citizens. The following categories of people will be able to obtain Kyrgyz citizenship in a simplified manner:
- Those who stay on the territory of Kyrgyzstan and whose foreign passports, USSR passports, and returnee’s certificates have expired or are about to expire;
- Those who were born in a foreign country, but reached the age of 18 in Kyrgyzstan and did not obtain Kyrgyz citizenship in time;
- Those who were born in Kyrgyzstan before the parents obtained Kyrgyz citizenship, reached 18 years of age in the country and did not obtain citizenship;
- Those who have the conclusion of a territorial department of the authorized body in the field of population registration on recognition as a stateless person in the territory of Kyrgyzstan;
- Those who have a birth certificate of a foreign state with a mark on obtaining a passport of a foreign state, but at the time of filing an application there is no foreign passport and the possibility of its restoration;
- Those who have discrepancies in the spelling of letters of personal data in a passport, birth / marriage certificate of a foreign state.
In this case, the ethnicity of a person will have to be confirmed by the diplomatic mission or consular office of Kyrgyzstan, if there is no «ethnicity» line in the passport or birth certificate of a foreign state.
