The Baltics Countries as New Directions of Migration from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Tajikistan

Abstract

The Baltic countries simultaneously act as a region of origin, destination and transit of migrants. The main flows of immigrants in these countries are formed from citizens of post-Soviet countries. The article attempts to comprehensively consider the process of population migration from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Tajikistan to the Baltic countries. This topic is not sufficiently reflected in the scientific bibliography, despite the fact that in recent years there has been a tendency for an increase in the flow of migrants from these countries towards the Baltic countries. The migration of the population to the Baltic countries is due to the traditional push and pull factors that are characteristic of the migration movements of the population of the countries under study. The main push motive for migration movements to the Baltic countries is economic reasons, despite the fact that in recent years migration has also been caused by political factors. Based on the statistical data of the Eurostat portal, the types and trends of migration are described. These are: the rapid growth of immigrants from the studied countries to the Baltic countries (especially in Lithuania), low opportunities for immigrants to acquire citizenship, the Baltic countries attracting students from the studied countries (especially Lithuania), an increase in the number of asylum seekers. The intensity of the migration process of the considered countries with the Baltic countries depends on several factors. These are the population size of both sending and receiving countries, the distance between countries, the political and socio-economic situation in the sending countries, the immigration policy of the receiving countries, and the state of bilateral relations between the Baltic countries and the considered countries. The governments of the Baltic States generally pursue a restrained migration policy. The adaptation of migrants from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Tajikistan to the Baltic countries have similar features and are associated with the common historical past of these countries within the Soviet Union, the knowledge of the local population of the Russian language and the residence of Russian-speaking diasporas from the post-Soviet countries in the Baltic countries. The results of the study will be useful to public authorities implementing migration policy in both sending and receiving countries.