Uzbekistan to issue preferential loans and apartments to labor migrants

Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree “On measures to further strengthen guarantees for the protection of citizens of Uzbekistan engaged in temporary labor activities abroad and their family members”.

The decree provides for:

- allocating 3,462 apartments in multi-apartment buildings to labor migrants in need of improved housing conditions as part of the implementation of state housing construction programs;

- introducing a mechanism for paying migrant workers payments on loans received in the Republic of Uzbekistan in Russian rubles through the joint-stock company “Asia Invest Bank” and other Russian partner banks, including through settlements via e-payment systems.

In addition, from October 1 of this year, the practice of providing microloans for a period of 1 year to pay for expenses related to employment abroad will be introduced. The amount of loan will be 2 million soums, and the rate is 10% in 2019-2020, 12% - in 2021.

The document also says that one-time subsidies will be provided to insurance companies to cover the life and health-related insurance costs which may occur during citizens’ work abroad. The amount of the subsidy is 50,000 soums for each insured labor migrant. 

According to the decree, a republican commission on external labor migration will be formed in the country, and a department for protection of the rights of citizens engaged in temporary labor abroad will be created in the structure of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Until October 1, 2019, “labor-migration” software package will be introduced.

The loans, subsidies, microloans and apartments envisaged by the decree will be provided to labor migrants registered in the labor-migration software package.