Struggling Life for Expat Workers in Tajikistan Encourages Pursuit of Russian Citizenship
Ranting Through the Maze of Expat Life: A Tajik Laborer's Struggle in Russia
Welcome to the rollercoaster ride of being a Tajik laborer in Russia. With each passing year, the journey becomes more complex, yet somehow, in a strange twist, the road to citizenship seems to be clearing up. Or so the numbers suggest.
At the start of 2024, the Russian authorities cranked up the heat on Tajik nationals, tightening the screws on work permits - the infamous temporary labor patents. Under the new system, anyone holding a patent needs to inform the local immigration service within two months - or kiss their document goodbye. And if you're thinking about avoiding this tedious task, forget it. No new patents for you for at least another year!
To top it off, the cost of a patent has skyrocketed, with Moscow and the surrounding region now setting laborers back a hefty 7,500 rubles ($85) a month. In some regions, things get worse, with local authorities placing restrictions on where migrant workers can toil away. Case in point: no baby food or dietary product production, public transportation jobs, or work in the hotel industry, education, healthcare, or a beauty or massage parlor.
But the struggles don't end there. If workers manage to land a job, they still run the risk of never seeing a peso of their hard-earned wages. The Tajik government reported in January that it had managed to scrounge up $2.7 million in unpaid back wages for its nationals. But let's be real, that's just a drop in the bucket compared to the overall shitshow.
Contracts? Who needs 'em? Employment agreements often go out the window, with workers hired under the radar and without a legally binding document. Heck, half the time, laborers don't even know who their boss is or where the company's headquarters are! And if they want to press their employers for their money, they'd better have followed the rules to the letter.
Now, some might say, "Just suck it up and become Russian!" Well, that option has become increasingly appealing. In 2020, over 63,000 Tajik citizens took the plunge, with that number jumping to 104,000 by 2021. By 2022, the record was broken with a staggering 174,000 Tajik nationals becoming Russian. And if the trend continues, 2023 will join the ranks of infamy, with 87,000 more Tajiks securing their citizenship in just the first half of the year.
Under an agreement signed back in 1997, Tajik nationals are allowed to hold dual citizenship. But these days, Russian citizenship comes with a dangerous catch. Thanks to Putin's disastrous invasion of Ukraine, anyone signing a one-year contract with the Russian armed forces can apply for expedited citizenship. And if that's not enough, relatives of those enlisting can also fast-track their application.
With the economy in Tajikistan offering few decent-paying jobs, it's no wonder that many workers are tempted by this siren's call. But beware, my friends, life ain't always a walk in the park when you serve the Motherland!
- The complexities of being a Tajik laborer in Russia extend to the realm of education, as many laborers are barred from working in educational institutions under new restrictions.
- In the face of rising cost of work permits and constraints on employment, the price of basic necessities such as food and healthcare become increasingly burdensome.
- The struggle for fair wages in Russia has prompted a surge in the number of Tajik citizens seeking Russian citizenship, with over 174,000 individuals joining the ranks in 2022 alone.
- Amidst the ongoing war-and-conflicts, such as Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the fast-tracked citizenship offered to those serving in the Russian armed forces poses potential risks, making the decision to obtain Russian citizenship a matter of policy-and-legislation and general-news.
