BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 17. Kyrgyzstan has
opened online registration for citizens seeking seasonal
agricultural work in the UK in 2027.


This was reported in a press release issued by the Center for
Employment of Citizens Abroad under the Ministry of Labor, Social
Security and Migration of Kyrgyzstan on August 17.


“Online registration will be open from August 17 at 12:00 and
will close on August 20 at 23:59 Bishkek time,” the center
said.


The registration concerns participation in the UK’s seasonal
agricultural work program for 2027. The British operator HOPS will
select candidates after the registration process is completed.


The opportunity is provided through the UK’s Seasonal Worker
Scheme, which enables British farmers to recruit workers from
abroad through licensed scheme operators. HOPS is one of the
operators authorized to sponsor workers under the scheme.


According to the Kyrgyz center, applicants must be Kyrgyz
citizens aged 18 or older and be prepared for physically active
agricultural work. Applicants must also have a valid international
passport. The document must remain valid through 2028, the
publication says.


The registration form requires applicants to provide their full
name in Latin characters, international passport number, email
address, and contact telephone number. Applicants must also answer
additional questions.


The center specified that the email address used for
registration must end with gmail.com. The passport number must
begin with PE or AC, according to the registration
requirements.


Registered candidates will be subsequently selected by HOPS.
Those selected will receive further instructions by email
concerning the next steps in the process, the report noted.







The center also warned applicants against using intermediaries
during registration. “Persons using intermediary services will be
automatically excluded from the list of selected candidates,” the
statement said.


The UK Seasonal Worker Scheme covers temporary employment in the
horticultural sector, including work with vegetables, fruit,
flowers, mushrooms and nursery plants. Workers on the relevant visa
can stay in the UK for up to six months for horticultural work.


The registration link was published by the Kyrgyz Center for
Employment of Citizens Abroad as part of the recruitment process
for the 2027 season.


Meanwhile, labor migration has become a structural feature of
Kyrgyzstan’s labor market, with the government increasingly seeking
to shift part of the flow from informal migration toward organized
recruitment and legal employment abroad. In 2023, the Cabinet of
Ministers declared that more than 1.1 million Kyrgyz citizens were
working abroad, describing labor migration as an area requiring
continued state attention.


The government has built an institutional system around this
process. The Center for Employment of Citizens Abroad provides
consultations, assists with recruitment and pre-departure
preparation, and works with foreign partners and licensed private
employment agencies. As of July 2025, the center said it cooperated
with partners in the UK, South Korea, Türkiye, Russia and Germany,
while 191 private agencies had permits to arrange employment
abroad.


The scale of organized migration has been growing. In the first
half of 2025, the center helped 14,010 Kyrgyz citizens find jobs
abroad, up 30.5% from a year earlier. At the same time, the
ministry said 192 private employment agencies were operating in the
migration sector and providing recruitment services in 29
countries.


The expansion also reflects the risks surrounding overseas
employment. Kyrgyz authorities have repeatedly reported cases of
illegal recruitment and fraud, including schemes targeting people
seeking jobs in European countries. In July 2025, the Labor
Ministry warned about fraudulent offers promising high salaries and
guaranteed employment.


At the same time, the UK has become an important destination for
organized seasonal employment from Kyrgyzstan. Cooperation on
agricultural jobs has involved UK-authorized operators including
HOPS Labour Solutions and Pro-Force. Britain’s Seasonal Worker
route allows sponsored foreign workers to take temporary
horticultural jobs for up to six months. Demand from Kyrgyz
citizens significantly exceeds available positions: in February
2025, 33,506 people applied through an HOPS registration, while
only 2,250 were invited for interviews.