The problems faced by labor migrants in Kazakhstan were discussed during «Safe Migration» teleconference.
According to Omurzak uulu Zamirbek, representative of the State Migration Service of the Kyrgyz Republic, about 100,000 citizens of Kyrgyzstan are in the neighboring state.
«A certain part of them work legally in the South Kazakhstan, Karaganda and Almaty regions and Almaty city,» he said.
The problems of migrants are: the passage of repeated medical examination, the absence of employment contracts, difficulties with registration and obtaining permits.
According to the head of the department of the Migration Service Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sabyrzhan Seyitzhanov, citizens of Kyrgyzstan can stay in Kazakhstan without registration for a month. Regarding the receipt of work permit, he noted that the migration service in the framework of the pilot project opened the Center for Migration Services in Astana city.
«We have united all the interested state bodies — doctors, tax specialists, employees of the population service center. Migration service is also located there,» he said.
The principle of teamwork justified itself. The centers of migration services will be created in all regional centers of Kazakhstan by the end of the year.
According to him, for four months of 2018, at least 15,140 citizens of Kyrgyzstan have been registered in Kazakhstan. Only 1,900 Kyrgyzstanis indicated work as a purpose of the visit at the crossing of the border, the rest indicated that they had arrived «on private business.»
«We are well aware that not all of them are in Kazakhstan «on private business.» Surely not less than a half of them work,» said Sabyrzhan Seyitzhanov.
The issue of non-signing of labor contracts, in his opinion, refers primarily to the legal awareness of the migrants. In the case of its absence, the person remains without protection from the actions of an employer. He may be deported for illegal work.
It’s wrong to blame some migrants for work without signing contracts. It is blame of employers, who do not want to draw up the documents.
National Program Coordinator of the International Organization for Migration in Kyrgyzstan Nurbek Omurov
«There is free movement of citizens on the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union. Often, migrants sign contracts upon arrival in the country of destination. And the question is how often the employers are punished for not signing employment contracts with migrants,» he said.
Nurbek Omurov believes that employers are interested in not signing contracts and working illegally, without making deductions for migrants. Law enforcement agencies, labor inspectors, the Ministry of Labor, in his opinion, should work more with employers in this regard and punish them for not signing the labor contracts.
