Kyrgyzstan: Interview with Aygul A.

Aygul A. is an immigrant from Kyrgyzstan currently living in Brooklyn, New York. Kyrgyzstan is an ethnically diverse Central Asian country with an estimated population of 7.16 million in 2024. Ethnic Kyrgyz make up 78 percent of the population, followed by Uzbeks (14%) and Russians (4%) (National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan 2024:12). Kyrgyz and Russian are official languages according to the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan. The majority of the population identifies as Muslim (90%), while seven percent identifies as Christian (Central Intelligence Agency 2025).

 In 2010, a year before Aygul left Kyrgyzstan for her first migration to Russia, 33.7 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s population lived below the poverty line–a figure that remained nearly unchanged at 33 percent in 2022 (National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan 2024:18). Nonetheless, during that period, Kyrgyzstan’s economy showed significant growth. If in 2011, GDP per capita (PPP, current international $) was $3,297, in 2022, it had nearly doubled to $6,132 (World Bank 2023).

Russia is the primary destination country for Kyrgyzstan migrants. According to a 2021 study, 231,000 Kyrgyzstan labor migrants were in Russia, with women comprising only 32 percent (Mukomel 2022:65; Ryazantsev, Sadvokasova, and Jeenbaeva 2021:27). Remittances play a crucial role in Kyrgyzstan’s economy. In 2021, the last year for which data is available, $1.1 million was remitted from Russia to Kyrgyzstan, accounting for around 32 percent of the country’s GDP (Central Bank of Russia 2021; World Bank 2023).

On February 3, 2025, Aygul shared her experiences of migration–first to Russia and later to the United States–with the Institute for Immigration Research.

Life before Immigration

"I was born in the capital of Kyrgyzstan then called Frunze and now Bishkek. I went to school where the language of instruction was Russian and then attended university to study accounting. There were no stable job opportunities in Kyrgyzstan. Of course, I could have tried to find something–I don’t deny that it was possible–but after graduating from university in 2011, I decided to leave for Russia. 

To make the job search process easier and avoid dealing with work permits, I decided to become a Russian citizen. At that time, it was relatively easy for nationals of Kyrgyzstan to acquire Russian citizenship. I chose the Sverdlovsk region because the naturalization process was more straightforward. In fact, it took me only three months to obtain Russian citizenship. Thus, Sverdlovsk became my first place of residence in Russia."

Naturalization statistics indicate that between 1992 and 2021, an estimated 601,900 nationals of Kyrgyzstan were naturalized in Russia (Mukomel, Grigor’eva, and Monusova 2022:67). In the earlier years of that period – during the 1990s and early 2000s - most naturalized individuals were likely ethnic minorities, such as Russians, Ukrainians, and other ethnic groups, who left Kyrgyzstan following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In contrast, those naturalized in the past two decades have most likely belonged to the country’s largest ethnic groups–Kyrgyz and Uzbek.

Working in Russia

Based on the 2017 survey, migrants from Kyrgyzstan primarily work in wholesale and retail trade, vehicle and motorcycle repair (33%), utility, social, and personal services (26%), and hotel and catering (11%). Compared to migrants from other Central Asian countries, migrants from Kyrgyzstan generally have better proficiency in Russian, which allows them to work in service sectors that require direct interaction with the local population (Mukomel 2022:66–67). According to a 2021 study, 53 percent of migrants from Kyrgyzstan reported knowing enough Russian to communicate at work, compared to 48 percent of migrants from Uzbekistan and 41 percent of migrants from Tajikistan (Poletaev 2021:114). 

"My first job in Sverdlovsk was as a waitress while waiting for my citizenship, and as soon as I received my Russian passport, I got on the train to move to Moscow. I lived in Moscow until 2014, for three and a half years. In Moscow, I started again as a waitress in a café, but after a short time, I switched to sales. I worked as a sales assistant in clothing stores, and my last job was at Uniqlo, a Japanese clothing retailer, where I stayed for two and a half years.

Like most migrants in Russia, my early living conditions were uncomfortable–I shared a small apartment with 10-20 people. Once I started earning better, I was able to rent a separate room for myself."

Returning to Kyrgyzstan

In 2014, the Russian ruble began losing value due to falling global oil prices and Western sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The sanctions cut off Russian banks and companies from Western financial markets (Guriev 2014). By the end of the year, the ruble lost approximately 87 percent of its value (Exchange-rates.org 2014, 2024) 

"In 2014, I made a spontaneous decision to return to my homeland. It all started when I became very sick, which scared me. Once I recovered, I suddenly decided to drop everything and leave Russia. Also, the value of the ruble against the U.S. dollar sharply dropped. I didn’t stay in Kyrgyzstan long though, for about four months, because I moved to America."

Coming to the United States

According to American Community Survey data (2018-2022), an estimated 13,425 immigrants from Kyrgyzstan live in the United States (IPUMS USA 2022). There are more female migrants (57%) than male migrants (43%), and more than half of them are proficient in English (57%), meaning they speak English only or speak English very well. 

Immigrants from Kyrgyzstan in the United States primarily work in services occupations (17%), computer, engineering, and science fields (13%), and management, business, and financial sectors (12%). Since arriving in the United States, Aygul has worked in various service occupations, beginning as a babysitter and currently as a home health attendant while attending college.

"I came to the United States in 2015, following my mother, who had arrived first. Initially, I didn’t even want to come because I had already returned to my homeland from Russia, and I wasn’t expecting to get a U.S. visa. To my surprise, I did, and I received it in Moscow. Soon after, I flew to New York. My first year here was tough—I wanted to leave. But over time, I started adjusting, and now I wouldn’t leave. I’ve been living here for 10 years.

My initial living conditions in the United States were slightly better–at least I didn’t have to share an apartment with 20 people. However, I still can’t afford a place of my own. I rent an apartment and share a room with my mother, while we usually have a roommate in another room. 

My first job in the United States was a babysitter. Later, I started working as a home health attendant caring for elderly patients with various medical conditions–some had dementia, others had Alzheimer’s. It was a challenging job. 

In 2018, I transitioned to a new role as a receptionist at a dental office, where I worked until 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I left. After that, I received some financial aid from the government, though not as much as some others. 

Then I enrolled in Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, and currently studying to become a paramedic. I also went back to working as a home health attendant, caring for the elderly and children to support myself.

For a long time, I debated whether to study nursing or become a paramedic. But earning a nursing degree is more than just having a full-time job–it requires studying day and night. That wouldn’t work for me—I need to work and earn a living.

I found that studying at a community college in the United States has advantages over attending a private college. Community colleges are not as expensive and finding employment after graduation is often quicker. From what I’ve heard, private colleges tend to push students through, even if they fail–after all, they’re paying $40,000–$50,000 in tuition. But in community colleges, they won’t just pass you; they will kick you out if you fail. I’ve seen many get expelled because they struggled with their studies and ended with too many F’s.” 

When asked about the level of her English proficiency, Aygul noted, “When I first came to the United States, my English was basic, but working here forced me to improve. I had to communicate with elderly clients, so I had no choice but to learn. But college introduced another layer of difficulty–knowing colloquial English is one thing, but learning medical terminology is an entirely different challenge. Sometimes, when I see an unfamiliar word, I translate it into Russian but see that I don’t even know its meaning in Russia. Medical terminology is hard.”

Aygul recounted trying herself in other jobs, “I worked briefly as a food delivery driver for about a month. At one point, I even got a taxi license to become an Uber driver, but haven’t started driving yet because the administrative costs in New York are too high. 

New York laws and regulations are different from other states. In other places, you can use any car and work with a regular driver's license, but in New York, the process is much more expensive and complicated. You have to pay for and complete a three-day course, then rent special Uber license plates for $700 a month, and on top of that, you need Uber insurance, which costs another $700 a month. So, with all these expenses, I decided it wasn’t worth it.”

Comparing Russia and the United States

Racial discrimination and racial profiling against migrants in Russia are widespread. A 2008 study on policing in Moscow found that 51 percent of individuals stopped by police in the Moscow metro were of non-Slavic appearance, despite their representation in the metro passenger flow being no more than 5 percent (Lawyers for Constitutional Rights and Freedom (I͡Uristy za konstitut͡sionnye prava i svobody) 2009). 

Another research has shown that Russians tend to be more welcoming toward migrants from the "West" (e.g., Ukraine and Moldova) than those from the "South" (e.g., the Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Vietnam, and Korea) (Brunarska and Soral 2022:225, 229). 

However, in contrast to these findings, Aygul did not experience negative attitudes from the local population or officials while living and working in Russia.

"I found that receiving residency and citizenship documents in the United States is much harder than in Russia. In Russia, I received my citizenship in just three months; here, I’ve been waiting for a Green Card for 10 years. 

Living in New York also comes with its own challenges. The boroughs are dirty, and rats are everywhere. The subway system is awful compared to Moscow’s metro. On top of that, expenses are much higher, making life more stressful.

Every morning, I wake up anxious about the bills waiting for me—something I never had to worry about in Russia.

I’ve heard people say that migrants are not treated well in Russia, but I never personally experienced anything like that, neither in Moscow nor in Sverdlovsk. People often mention that migrants are called churkas (a racial slur), but I never encountered such treatment. 

I was also never stopped or harassed by the police. Perhaps this was because there are many Kalmyks [an ethnic Mongol group primarily living in Russia] in Moscow, and they look similar to Kyrgyz people. Additionally, I speak Russian fluently, so there was no reason for me to stand out or be targeted."

Bibliography 

Central Bank of Russia. 2021. “Transgranichnye Perevody Fizicheskikh Lit͡s (Rezidentov i Nerezidentov) (Cross-Border Transfers of Individuals (Residents and Non-Residents)).” Retrieved February 21, 2025 (https://cbr.ru/hd_base/tg/).

Central Intelligence Agency. 2025. “Kyrgyzstan.” The World Factbook.

Exchange-rates.org. 2014. “US Dollar (USD) To Russian Ruble (RUB) Exchange Rate History for December 16, 2014.” Retrieved February 21, 2025 (https://www.exchange-rates.org/exchange-rate-history/usd-rub-2014-12-16).

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Mukomel, Vladimir I., Ksenija S. Grigor’eva, and Galina A. Monusova. 2022. Adaptat͡sii͡a i Integrat͡sii͡a Migrantov v Rossii: Vyzovy, Realii, Indikatory (Adaptation and Integration of Migrants in Russia: Challenges, Realities, Indicators). Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation.

National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan. 2024. “Kratkiĭ Statisticheskiĭ Spravochnik «Kyrgyzstan» (Brief Statistical Reference Book «Kyrgyzstan»).”

Poletaev, Dmitry V. 2021. Otchet o Rezulʹtatakh Issledovanii͡a Sot͡sialʹno-Ėkonomicheskikh Posledstviĭ Pandemii COVID-19 Dli͡a Migrantov Iz T͡Sentralʹnoĭ Azii, Prebyvai͡ushchikh Na Territorii Rossiĭskoĭ Federat͡sii (Report on the Socio-Economic Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemics on Central Asian Migrants in the Russian Federation). Moscow: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, International Organization of Migration.

Ryazantsev, Sergey, Aygul Sadvokasova, and Jamilia Jeenbaeva. 2021. Study of Labour Migration Dynamics in The Central Asia – Russian Federation Migration Corridor Consolidated Report.

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