Tajik Migrant Workers in Russia: Major Hurdles

Tajikistan is a post-soviet republic situated in Central Asia. It is largely an agricultural country which has suffered a vicious civil war in the early 1990s which led to not only much bloodshed but increased poverty. In order to survive many Tajiks sought employment elsewhere. The main attraction was Russia due to linguistic factors as well as the legacy of the Soviet Union. Tajik migration focused on Russia and enormous amounts of foreign currency came to be sent back to Tajikistan in the form of remittances. The hundreds of thousands of Tajik migrants experienced many obstacles and tremendous difficulties. This paper identifies these factors and explores them in detail.