Educational migration as a new direction of labor migration from Central Asia: A theoretical analysis

Abstract

Educational migration has become a significant form of labor migration in Central Asia due to a growing number of students seeking higher education abroad and subsequently joining foreign labor markets. The article examines the interconnection between educational and labor migration, highlighting economic, social and institutional factors that make students remain in host countries after graduation. The study focuses on such theoretical frameworks as human capital theory, social mobility and brain drain vs brain circulation, providing a comprehensive analysis of how educational migration influences workforce mobility and national development. The author’s findings show that economic incentives, declining quality of higher education in Central Asia and favorable migration policies in destination countries contribute to the transformation of educational migration into long-term labor migration. Host countries of Central Asian students facilitate this transition by work permit programs and job market strategies, making foreign education a direct pathway to permanent employment. However, such challenges as work restrictions, labor discrimination and labor market saturation remain barriers to labor migration. The article also discusses implications of educational migration for both sending and receiving countries. While destination countries benefit from the skilled labor, Central Asian nations face brain drain, losing highly educated professionals that choose foreign labor markets. To mitigate these effects, the corresponding policies should include investment in national education reforms, incentives for return migration, and international cooperation for the degree recognition.