Chinese Migrants in Russia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe by Felix Chang & Sunnie Rucker-Chang

Author:Felix Chang & Sunnie Rucker-Chang [Chang, Felix & Rucker-Chang, Sunnie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Ethnic Studies, General
ISBN: 9780415578745
Google: HrIBytDFSqEC
Goodreads: 13713107
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2011-09-28T00:00:00+00:00

Irregular Chinese Labor Migration

Chinese labor migration into Kazakhstan also has an informal component—a spontaneous, unregulated flow whose volume greatly exceeds that of legal labor migration. Such irregular migration is largely undocumented, but as a rule, it tends to track the ebb and flow of official labor migration. Under the current visa regime, PRC citizens need an invitation from a sponsoring company or organization in Kazakhstan to enter the country legally. Upon arrival, the Chinese register with the MIA Migration Police and obtain the right to stay in the country for 30 days (increased to 45 days in 2006 and cut back again during the global economic crisis). During this period, they work for their Chinese or joint venture sponsors, usually under oral agreement rather than a signed employment contract, until they are replaced in one to two months’ time by another group of specialists or workers. This rotation (vakhtovyi metod ) continues throughout the year. According to Kazakhstani immigration law, labor migrants may only stay temporarily and work only with the organization indicated in the invitation letter. At the risk of administrative prosecution, however, many Chinese transgress the terms of their entry by working for different companies, in different geographic regions or in jobs other than those specified in their invitation letters. In the construction of the Atasu–Alashan’kou oil pipeline in eastern Kazakhstan, for instance, as well as in remote regions or under harsh working conditions, groups of managers, engineers and workers are often circulated through rotating camps (vakhtovyi gorodok) lasting two to four weeks. The reason is that Han Chinese are reported to work hard—in shifts of 10–12 hours a day, with few vacation days and for relatively modest remuneration.

For their part, Chinese workers get around the immigration laws by traveling to neighboring Kyrgyzstan, which has had a visa-free regime with China for many years, instead of returning to China when it is time for visa renewal. By making a three- to four-hour drive from Almaty to Bishkek, the location of the closest Kazakh embassy, the Chinese can renew their visas to enable another term of legal temporary residence and employment, thereby permitting Chinese citizens to stay in Kazakhstan for a year or more (Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs interview 2007).11 Nevertheless, the Chinese presence in Kazakhstan is characterized by a high level of illegality, as many Chinese overstay their visas, fail to register with the Ministry of Interior and register incorrect residence or work addressees—all to lengthen the duration of their stay in Kazakhstan. Consequently, Chinese laborers tend to live in apartments close to their places of employment, to avoid the likelihood of being detained by MIA officers.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.