When the war prevented many of them returning, recruiters found new workers in Central Asia. Whereas just 304 seasonal labourers arrived from Kyrgyzstan in 2021, last year 4,341 came, says the Home Office. Thousands more flowed in from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Last year, of the roughly 34,500 SWS visas issued, 44% went to people from those four countries. (Arrivals from Turkmenistan, the fifth and most repressive of the former Soviet republics known as the “Stans”, remain rare.)
Work agencies, well-versed in adapting ways of working since Brexit ended free movement from the European Union, set up offices and fostered official ties in the region. They expect the inflow of Central Asians to rise further. The government, too, is keen. James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, met Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan’s president, in his capital, Astana, in March. Leo Docherty, the Europe minister, toured Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in June. MPs from the foreign-affairs select committee visited the same countries as part of an inquiry into policy on the region.
Official interest is also linked to the war. Britain and its European allies want to reduce the Stans’ reliance on Russia. In Astana, Mr Cleverly talked up the “Middle Corridor”, a channel for Kazakh oil exports in the southern Caucasus and Turkey. He also signalled Britain’s interest in critical minerals, such as cobalt, graphite and vanadium, a metal used to improve steel and make better batteries, some of which can be found in the region. Kazakhstan already produces four of 18 minerals identified in Britain as a priority for the green transition; it has found deposits of ten more. Kazakhstan’s neighbours may have reserves, too. Britain wants suppliers for rare elements apart from China.
The initiatives may only bring gains in the long term. The people of the Stans are young, with a median age under 30. Annette Bohr of Chatham House, a think-tank, says it is wise to show that Britain can be a benevolent partner. Britain also promotes soft-power efforts, such as better educational ties. Such investments may take time, but could eventually bear fruit. ■
