Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The press center of Sputnik Uzbekistan hosted a discussion on efforts to improve the country’s labor migration regulatory system.

The event brought together representatives of key government agencies who reviewed the current measures being implemented to enhance the legal framework, ensure employment opportunities abroad, protect the rights and interests of migrant workers, and promote legal migration pathways.

According to Islomjon Khamrayev, a representative of the Migration Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan, work is underway on a draft law on labor migration, aimed at formalizing the key principles of state support for citizens seeking employment overseas.

A major focus of the discussion was the prevention of illegal migration. Elyor Toshtemirov, Head of Strategic Planning and KPI Performance Monitoring at the Agency for External Labor Migration, emphasized that Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation have established effective inter-agency cooperation in this area.

He noted that joint awareness and prevention campaigns are regularly conducted in mahallas across the country, in collaboration with law enforcement, to encourage legal stay of citizens abroad.

“We maintain a register of individuals under monitoring in Russia, and each case is handled individually. Hotlines are operational in both Tashkent and Moscow, along with dedicated chatbots on social media platforms,” Toshtemirov explained.

Efforts to strengthen social support for labor migrants are also ongoing. The amount of one-time financial assistance for citizens in difficult situations abroad has been increased to five base calculation units. Additional support includes up to US$500 for accommodation costs and up to US$1,500 for medical treatment.