The House of Representatives has adopted a bill ratifying the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the Organised Recruitment and Employment of Citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Temporary Work in the Republic of Belarus.
The document is said to establish a legal framework for a clear state-run mechanism to attract Uzbek citizens to work in Belarus legally, safely and in an orderly manner. Organised recruitment based on the specific needs of employers will take place in two stages.
The first stage will take place entirely in Uzbekistan. At the request of a Belarusian employer, the relevant Migration Agency will recruit candidates with the required qualifications and experience. Before departure, they will be informed about the rules governing their stay in Belarus, working conditions and the draft employment contract. They will also undergo mandatory medical examinations and checks to ensure there are no restrictions on either leaving Uzbekistan or entering Belarus.
The second stage involves legalising their status and arranging employment once they arrive in Belarus. Upon their arrival, the employer will arrange a reception, transfer and initial migration registration. This will be followed by the official formalities: the employer will obtain a special permit from the Interior Ministry and arrange for the employee to take an examination in Russian or Belarusian. The parties will then sign an employment contract, and the employee will officially start work.
It should be recalled that Uzbek businesses are implementing several projects in Belarus, primarily in the agricultural sector. For example, construction of an entire Uzbek agro-industrial cluster has already begun in the Haradok district. In addition, two livestock enterprises involving Uzbek businesses are being established in other districts. In the Slauharad district, SP AgroMit LLC plans to implement a cattle-fattening project. In the Beshankovichy district, AndijanAgro has launched a new investment project in the same sector.
According to data from the Belarusian Interior Ministry, 4,210 Uzbek citizens are already working in Belarus this year, including 1,663 who arrived in the third quarter. Uzbekistan ranked third among Belarus’s sources of migrant labour in January–September. The largest group of foreign workers in the country comes from Turkmenistan, with 20,430 people, followed by Russia, with 5,600.