Abstract:

Every country that receives migrants has to solve the problems of their naturalization and integration. High educational level of the migrants of foreign ethnicities helps them to integrate into the host community more effectively. Non-institutional sources of education (J. Heckman) also play a significant role in the processes of integration of migrants (knowledge of the language of the host country, knowledge of laws, culture, and active communication with the members of the host community etc.). Russia holds the second position in the world in terms of international migration. In 2017, 533 265 migrants from different countries entered Russia in the course of relocation. 96 852 of them had university degrees. The majority of these migrants are from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The majority of migrants from CIS coming to Russia are from Central Asia, and the share of well-educated people is relatively low (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). In 2017, 4.532 migrants from CIS countries entered Ekaterinburg (Russia); the majority of them arrived from Central Asia. These are regular annual indicators of international migration for Ekaterinburg. The authors of the present article, basing on the materials of their studies carried out in Ekaterinburg (Russia) in 2016-2018, demonstrate that the migrants of foreign ethnicities from Central Asia better integrate into the host community in case they have a high educational level, and employ non-institutional sources of education. According to the authors, the migrants having a university degree or an incomplete higher education have some specific characteristics, which help them integrate better into the host society. Representatives of this group of migrants are more often characterized by the followings points, as compared to the representatives of people with different educational background: they know Russian well (76.9%) and know Russian laws (75.4%), have got used to living in Ekaterinburg (60%), would like to have a permanent residence in Russia (56.9%), have friends and relatives in Ekaterinburg (67,7%), learn news about Russian people and Russia from their communication with local citizens (73.8%), don´t have any national prejudices )75.4%, are less religious (43.1%). Thus, the authors conclude that the combination of such factors as the higher level of education of the migrants and the possibility to use non-institutional sources of education increases their chances for the integration into the host community. The host country gets “quality” migrants, who can integrate well and aspire to obtain the citizenship of the host country. Still, the share of migrants having a high level of education and, at the same time, willing to live permanently in Russia amounted to 16% only. The authors suppose that institutional and non-institutional sources of education for potential migrants are very important. Under the conditions of the elimination of Russian schools and the decrease in the level of Russification of higher education in Central Asia, not only labour, but study migration should be developed as well, e.g. through the distance forms of teaching Russian language to prospective labour and study migrants.

Keywords:

Migrants of foreign ethnicities, educational background, integration, Central Asia, Russia, survey.