ВЛИЯНИЕ ПАНДЕМИИ COVID-19 НА МИГРАЦИОННУЮ СИТУАЦИЮ И МИГРАЦИОННУЮ ПОЛИТИКУ В РЕСПУБЛИКЕ БЕЛАРУСЬ

Abstract

Since 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has become a new factor in changing the migration situation in the world, and its impact has had an extremely negative impact in all countries of the world. In the article, the authors consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the migration situation and migration policy in Belarus. At the beginning of the pandemic, the Belarusian authorities did not recognize the threat of COVID-19 and denied the need to impose a ban on crossing the state border, which is why the current situation in Belarus was not like other countries. However, as in other countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the labor market and labor migration in general. Belarusian migrants, like most migrants in the world, leave in search of a better life, career and high wages abroad. In 2019-2020, the majority had to return to their homeland and adapt to new living conditions, including finding a job at home, with a relatively high unemployment rate in the country. Also, it is worth noting that despite the pandemic, money transfers that were transferred by migrants from abroad did not decrease, but on the contrary increased, which is most likely due to the fact that migrants provided assistance to their relatives and friends who found themselves in a difficult situation at home.