Uzbekistan new indd

recommendations
Uzbekistan must sign interstate agreements with Russia 
and Kazakhstan protecting the interests of its citizens 
abroad. One of the first steps would be to send spe-
cialized diplomats representing the Ministry of Labor 
and Social Protection of the Population to Uzbekistan’s 
embassies in Moscow and Astana. A second step 
would be to work closely with both countries to en-
sure the rights of Uzbek migrants in terms of work 
permits and conditions. Specific documents need to 
be signed, as Uzbekistan is not part of the Customs 
Union and suspended its membership in the Eurasian 
Economic Community (EurAsEc), which warranties 
freedom of movement among member states.
The World Bank and the IMF should initiate a 
cost analysis of the exit visa regime’s economic ramifi-
cations. Both institutions should assess the cost of the 
current visa regulations and their impact on domes-
tic situations, the investment environment, and inter-
national trade. The research should include detailed 
statistics on the number of people applying for an exit 
visa, and should be disaggregated in terms of gender. 
The endemic corruption of the services in charge of 
migration should be included in this cost analysis in 
order to explore one of the least known financial as-
pects of the exit visa regime.
Embassies operating in the Republic of Uzbekistan 
should not base their decisions on granting/refusing 
entry visas on the status of the exit visa. Only the US 
and German embassies currently do not do so.

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