Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament, Majlisi Namoyandagon, has passed a new migration bill aimed at strengthening the protection of labor migrants and their families, regulating private employment agencies that recruit workers for jobs abroad, and digitalizing migration services. The current Law on Migration has been in force since 1999, and presenting it to lawmakers, the Minister of Labor, Migration and Employment of Population, Ms. Soliha Kholmahmadzoda said it no longer meets modern requirements, according to the parliamentary newspaper Sadoi Mardum.
The bill introduces new provisions covering the reintegration of returning migrants, repatriation and resettlement, internal and environmental migration, and the protection of vulnerable groups. It also seeks to diversify destinations for Tajik labor migrants.
What is new in the bill?
According to Kholmahmadzoda, the proposed law introduces several provisions and mechanisms that are not adequately covered by the current legislation. These include:
- digitalization of migration processes;
- legal frameworks for migrant reintegration;
- stronger protection of migrants’ rights and those of their family members;
- regulation of repatriation and resettlement;
- diversification of labor migration destinations;
- improved regulation of internal and environmental migration;
- greater consideration of gender-related issues and the needs of vulnerable groups;
- clearer principles of state migration policy; and
- updated concepts and terminology in migration legislation.
The bill also provides for information sharing between government agencies, the creation of a unified migration information system, improved statistical records and the use of digital technologies in public services.
According to the minister, these measures are intended to make public administration more transparent and efficient.
Kholmahmadzoda said the new version of the law was developed to strengthen the legal framework for managing population migration, make more effective use of labor resources at home and abroad, and protect the domestic labor market.
She added that the legislation is expected to help reduce irregular migration, improve transparency, expand international cooperation and support investment, technology transfer and human capital development.
Lawmakers say migration policy must adapt to new realities
Ms. Mujibakhon Javhari, Chairperson of the Majlisi Namoyandagon Committee on Social Affairs, Family and Health, supported the bill, saying Tajikistan’s migration policy was “moving to a qualitatively new stage.”
“The demands of the modern era, demographic changes, the state of the labor market and the need to digitalize migration processes have made the adoption of a new version of the law inevitable,” Javhari said.
Lawmakers raised no additional questions during the session and unanimously adopted the bill.
What happens to the 1999 law?
The current Law on Migration was adopted on December 11, 1999.
The Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of the Population told Asia-Plus that the existing law will cease to be in force once the new legislation passes the Majlisi Milli, the upper chamber of parliament, is signed by the president and officially published.
However, the ministry did not provide Asia-Plus with the full text of the bill. As a result, the precise details of how individual provisions will be implemented remain unclear.
Russia remains the main destination for Tajik migrants
Russia continues to be the primary destination for Tajik labor migrants, but the requirements for foreign workers there have become increasingly stringent.
Following the 2024 terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, Russian authorities tightened migration controls and introduced additional requirements and restrictions affecting migrants. These measures include a register of controlled persons covering foreign nationals who violate migration rules or otherwise fall under the relevant legal provisions, alongside numerous legislative changes.
Against this backdrop, Tajikistan’s government and citizens seeking employment are paying greater attention to alternative destinations. In recent years, more Tajik citizens have been looking for work in Kazakhstan, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, South Korea, Japan and the United Kingdom.
The new migration bill seeks to establish a broader legal framework for managing these changing migration patterns. Its practical impact on migrants will depend on the final law and how its provisions are implemented.