About 1000 migrants from Tajikistan will be for seasonal six-month agricultural work in the United Kingdom (UK).
An official source at the Migration Service of the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of the Population (MoLMEP) has told Asia-Plus that about 1000 Tajik labor migrants will be hired this year for six-month seasonal work in the United Kingdom’s agrarian sector.
According to him, they will harvest vegetables and fruits in the United Kingdom.
“The head of the MoLMEP Migration Service Imatsho Nodirzoda met with HOPS Labor Solutions Ltd Director of Operations Jonathan Burgess here back in March to discuss issues related to the organized sending of Tajik migrant workers to the United Kingdom for seasonal agricultural work,” the source said.
Recruitment of labor migrants reportedly took place in April-May, and after its completion representative HOPS Labor Solutions Ltd Dimco Usursky on May 23 met here with those who applied and provided them with detailed information about working conditions, requirements for labor migrants, the source added.
On May 24, The UK’s Gangmasters and Labor Abuse Authority (GLAA) Director of Strategy Darryl Dixon reportedly visited the MoLMEP Migration Service accompanied by the UK Ambassador to Tajikistan Timothy Marschall Jones.
The parties discussed issues related to compliance with the rules of stay, legal protection of labor migrants, prevention of illegal immigration and some other topical issues.
Mr. Dixon also visited the pre-departure training center for labor migrants.
HOPS provides seasonal agricultural labor in the United Kingdom supporting great British farms.
This year, the company plans to recruit nationals of the following countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
Meanwhile, Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) reported on May 31 that the UK’s (GLAA) has signed landmark agreements with the governments of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in a move to strengthen the protections for workers arriving in the UK.
The documents establish several areas of mutual cooperation between the parties, with information sharing about recruitment agencies sending workers from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to the UK a key priority.
More than 6,000 visas were reportedly issued to workers from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan as part of the Seasonal Worker visa route in 2022, making up almost a quarter of all workers that year. Many more are expected to arrive this year from Central Asia, according to SIA.
Uzbekistan was the second-biggest source of seasonal workers last year after Ukraine, with Kyrgyzstan fourth on the list.
