Integration of migrants from Nigeria to Russia

The respondents (two) who came for the purpose of reuniting with the family, as indicated earlier, one of them studied here in Russia before leaving the country after the completion of her education but came back after some years to reunite with her husband. She went through the language class and also studied in the Russian language which makes her competency of the language quite high. But for the other, her husband who was already living in Russia had to enrol her in a language centre for her to learn the language but she claimed that she could not finish the programme because it was quite expensive and also that she needed to support her husband in providing for the family although she was able to get the basics of the language. She improved on the ones she was taught and after living in Russia for about 15 years, she could communicate with the natives conveniently but stated that her knowledge of the language is average. On the other hand, the respondents who came for the purpose of work were not taught the language but had to engage themselves in self-study and as one of the respondents identified it as learning on the street. Some of them also had to engage in learning the language via YouTube and then try to practice what they have learned. However, compared to the other two set of migrants, their proficiency in the language is below average.

In order to actively participate in the labour market, the knowledge of the language is equally very important. Being able to communicate in the language that the employers understand would create a mutual understanding between the employer and employee. All the respondents both in the USSR and Russia group who came initially to study however claimed that despite having they have been denied opportunities to work in some organizations despite having the required qualification and also being able to speak the language. Some decided to eke out alternatives of survival for themselves by starting their own businesses. Also in most cases, as stated by the respondents, they hold on to any job opportunity they get and won't let go of it because by allowing such to happen, the possibility of getting another job is very low. Only one out of the six respondents who arrived Russia for the purpose of working is employed by an organisation in Russia and he emphasized that the Russian language played no role in his employment because he is employed by an American School to teach the English Language to the kids and therefore, the English Language is the means of communication in the organisation. For the other five respondents, after seeking employment in different organizations and none was forthcoming, they decided to engage in some menial jobs first before starting their own business. Some of them shared fliers or sell mobile SIM cards on the streets while some helped in offloading goods from trucks and arranged in the warehouse of supermarkets. Another low skill work they did was to serve as cleaners in organizations. During this period, all of the respondents who came in search of job opportunities had about two to three jobs that they do concurrently. This is so because the money they get doing one is not enough to cater for all their expenses. As one of the respondents recounted that “It wasn't easy at all trying to survive initially here but I thank God for where I am today.”

Some of the respondents who are self-employed also recounted that their competence of the Russian language has influenced their business positively. One of the respondents who came to Russia in order to reunite with her husband indicated that her knowledge of the language allows her to communicate with both Russians and Nigerians alike. For most of the respondents, being unable to secure employment made them use their skills to get what they want.

Migrant Network

The composition of the migrant network is quite different among migrants (Poros, 2011). The choice of the USSR or Russia as the country of destination varies across the different motives (education, family reunion,and work) for migrating. The research reveals that only those who migrate for the purpose of reuniting with their family and those who want to engage in the economic sphere have a person who is already living in the country. The African community is however comprised of a small number of migrants compared to other continents which make their impact of little or no significance. The Nigerian community like some of the respondents stated mainly serve as “an advisory body” in which case, they give recommendations about job openings and how to be law abiding. For the respondents who came to study, their decisions were influenced by their network from their home country. Most of which was either relatives or a former student who studied in Russia (USSR).

The respondents who came to study have a network of Russian colleagues with whom they studied and graduated together. It was however easy for them to make friends with their host community. Diaz (1993) refers to social integration as the process of integration that allows the immigrants to build up a new relationship with the mainstream group but not with the marginal group in the host society. Studying in the host country increases the chances of building a relationship with the natives. Like one of the respondents said, the break of the Soviet Union allowed him to start a business but need the help of his Russian friends to be able to execute this business plan. This is however in contrast to the other set of Nigerian migrants who came either for family reunification or the ones who arrived in order to achieve a better economic feat. To some of them, they do not have Russian friends with whom they relate to often aside from those that visit their shops.

The Economy

In the new society where migrants are, vocational skills and education are important aspects of integration which are vital yardsticks of measuring their employability in the labour market (Ager & Strang, 2008). The findings show that the respondents experienced challenges in employment opportunities in the labour market in Russia. The jobs easily available for “Black Migrants” are menial jobs which cannot cater for the economic demands in the country. For some of the respondents, getting a place as a Black where you could have your own business is equally very difficult. One of the respondents said that she attempted getting a shop to practice her vocational skill but the paperwork very tedious and the sum was much so she had to resolve to attend to her clients in the apartment where she lives. As stated earlier, only one of the respondents who had his education in Nigeria is employed by an organization here in Russia while others are self-employed.

Proficiency in the Russian language and education are very important in getting employment. Also for those who are self-employed, knowledge of the Russian language allows them to relate to their clients and also to communicate with sellers where they buy some products they use for their business. For most of the respondents who are employed, the Russian language is the means of communication in their various organizations except for those who are employed as English tutors which varies according to the establishment of the schools but in most cases, the knowledge of the Russian language is needed as English tutor in order to communicate with the students. Except for those (two) who studied Law at the university; only one of the other 18 respondents is employed by an organization where he performs the responsibilities replica to what he studied at the university. Eleven of the respondents are employed as tutors while the other seven are either business owners orself-employed.

However, all the respondents who are employed have been in the organization where they work since changing their status from having a student visa to a work visa. This is a common trend between the two groups under study which they all attribute to the uncertainty of getting another soonest. This is particularly of concern to those who do not have the Russian citizenship. Most of them have considered leaving their job but have overtime been restricted by the prospect of getting another job. Diaz (1993) said that structural integration of migrants in the process of participating in the occupational spheres of their host country which is supported by economic and educational opportunities. However, for the respondents, their employment opportunities are limited mainly because of their skin colour. The knowledge of the Russian language, experience and education do not count when it comes to seeking employment that is why most of them hold on to a job if they eventually get one. Like one of the respondents recounted one of the instances which he experienced himself “Even if you are better qualified than the other person, you would not be considered”. Another challenge which the research reveals pertaining to the respondents who already had their education in their country of origin is that despite having higher education, been unable to speak the Russian language is the barrier that they encountered in seeking employment opportunities in Russia. The respondents who came in search of employment opportunities find it difficult to integrate into the labour market in Russia compared to those who had their education in the Russia Federation.

The Environment

This section discusses the social relations the migrants have with their host community at both workplace and settlement areas. The relationship that the respondents have with their Russian colleagues and neighbours and how they responded to such relationship. Firstly, issues about accommodation (housing) affect the psychological and emotional wellbeing of migrants (Ager & Strang, 2008). In some cases, the respondents claimed that there have been instances where they would rather not apply for accommodation because the type of tenant that the agent wants was already stated (i.e, only Slavs) but generally speaking, the inscription applies to all kinds of foreignersthat are not from the countries within the Commonwealth of Independent States; but for most of the respondents, they presume that house owners are not always willing to lease their house to them. Another challenge that was stated by one of the respondents is that the owner of the house could come one day and say that he needed to make some changes in the apartment which in a case where the migrant is not financially buoyant could make him/her start looking for a place to live.

Relationship with neighbours as stated by one of the respondents cannot be compared to the neighbourhood settings in Nigeria where neighbours know and relate to one another. However, most of the respondents have an indifferent relationship with their Russian neighbours. All the respondents live in a settlement area that is dominated by Russians and for all of them, they communicate with other Nigerians in churches, special occasions (parties, meetings etc), place of work and at the Nigerian embassy.

Despite having an indifferent relationship towards each other, for those who have Russian colleagues at their places of work claimed that they have a good relationship with them. However, some of the respondents also indicated that they have faced psychological discrimination from their Russian colleagues at their place of work. As stated by one of them, “It is not in all cases that discrimination is verbal or confrontational, at times, it is psychological. For instance, in the company where I work, there is a culture of celebrating birthday among the workers and you will find out that when every arrangement to celebrate a birthday celebrant you are not being involved”. It should also be stated that all of the respondents mentioned that though they have had contact with both the good and the bad.

Overall, the result of the research reveals three aspects in which the integration process of the Nigerian labourmigrants is measured (education, economy,and environment). Of these three measures, education as an institution of integration is well established compared to the economy and environment institutions. Those who had their higher education in Russia have a better opportunity than those who already had the higher education from their home country. However, as the result shows, having a higher education and competency of the Russian language are not sufficient enough to integrate into the Russian system. There is a need not only to recognise the presence of other races and colours but also to accept them.

Fig. Arrival and departure of Nigeria in Russia (hundred)

Source: ROSSTAT, 2018

The inability to integrate into a new environment could lead to a psychological shock and also the eventual departure from the country (Ratha, Mohapatra, & Scheja, 2011). The picture above indicates that as many Nigerians are arrivingin Russia, many are also leaving. The year 2017, however, shows a reduction that the number of those departing the country is more than the number of those entering into it. The picture shows that there is a consistent growth in the number of Nigerians that are leaving Russia. The reason for this is not far-fetch which is simply because they find it difficult to integrate into the social and economic system in Russia. Comparing Russia to Sweden, the number of Nigerians arriving in Sweden is always on the increase while those leaving the country are inconsequential to those arriving in the country (Statistics Sweden, 2018). Twelve of the respondents, most of who arrived after the disintegration of the USSR, have indicated their desire to migrate either to Nigeria or another country while those who are married to a Russian woman among the respondents in the USSR wish they could migrate back to Nigeria but are being held back because they would have to consider their families before making such decision.

Policy Recommendation

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia inherited the position formerly occupied by the Soviet Union in global politics and had since opened up the country to investors. So also, there is an increase in the number of migrants entering the country. According to the 2017 migration report by the United Nations, Russia is the fourth largest popular country of destination for migrants behind the United State, Saudi Arabia and Germany (United Nations, 2018). There is, therefore,a need to put in place policies on integration that would accelerate the process of having migrants operate within the society and also ensure that these policies are implemented.For investors who could neither speak nor understand the Russian language, having a centre where foreigners could study the language would open up the Russian economy to more migrants who do not speak the Russian language. There should also be an increased advertisement of the centre which would allow migrants to know that there is a place where they could learn and study the Russian language. When migrants know about the centre, they would be encouraged to participate in the training.

I would also recommend a review of the policy that would enable students who are able to secure a job before the expiration of their current visa change their legal status smoothly without having to leave the country. This could, however, encourage employers of labour to consider employing them on a long-term contract.Graduate students should also be encouraged to stay in the country (Russia) by formulating policies that would allow them to live in the country for a period of time to search for job opportunities in the labour market. This would, however, encourage them to stay back and contribute to the economic development of the country. Most the respondents who came into the country initially to study emphasised a particular statement that they were been lucky to have been able to secure a job that most of their colleagues had to leave the country immediately after the completion of their programme. Creating such a policy would encourage and increase the participation of skilled workers in the labour market which would also make the Russian economy to be competitive in the global market.

Lastly, I recommend that there should be a campaign by the state to sensitize the people of the reality of the fact that since the opening up of the country, the country has also been opened up to people of different colours and origin; so diversification exists in the country. The local people should learn how to live and accommodate people of other races. Advertisement companies could also include people of different races in the programmes which could help change the perceptions of the host community about other people and also change the negative perceptions that other countries have against Russia.

Limitations and Further Research

I must also point out some limitations of this study. For example, the sample size of the respondents is quite small and this does not help to give a wider view of the study. Despite having respondents who are all documented residents in Russia, it is my opinion that trying to investigate the section of migrants who are trapped in the undocumented caucus could also give a different light to the study. I also believe that gathering information from Russians who have Nigerians in their neighbourhood and those who are employers and leaders of organizations would help to give the topic a strong point.

I hope that this study provides the basis for a further discussion and research in the aspect of socio-economic integration as one of the factors that influence migration of labour migrants as the knowledge gained from this research can be a good starting point in formulating policies that could help to mitigate the plights of migrants in Russia. Finally, I would recommend that for future study of this topic, accessibility to social benefits and also welfare packages could be studied to better understand the role played by the policy of migrants' inclusion in shaping the decision of the migrants.

Conclusion

The research is focused on the personal experiences of the respondents about the social and economic facets in Russia. Nigeria has a very small number of migrants that are living in Russia and in trying to study how integrated they are in the social and economic spheres in Russia, I applied the conceptual framework that is designed by Ager and Strang in understanding thesocio-economic integration of labour migrants from Nigeria using indicators such as language, education, housing, social networks as measures that determine their employability and also relationship with the host community which also influences their decision to migrate. At first, the study seeks to find out why they decided to choose Russia as their country of destination and then tries to find out to what extent they have been able to integrate into the Russian social and economic life which could influence their decision to leave or stay in the country. The result of the study shows that despite having the knowledge of the Russian language, there are no opportunities for job mobility in the labour market for the Nigerian labour migrants who are employed by organizations in Russia. For the respondents, they could not just change their place of employment for a better one because such opportunity is uncommon. This is why for most of them, they hold tight to the job they have and would endeavour not to let it slip away.

Knowledge of the Russian language is very important in securing employment but for some of the respondents, the language did not play any significant role because they are employed as the English language teachers which do not necessarilyrequire the knowledge of the Russian language. For most of the respondents, the Russian language helps to influence their employment opportunities and for those who are business owners, the language plays a vital role in the running of their businesses. Going by the findings of this research, the only job opportunity that the knowledge of the Russian language does not play a significant role is being a teacher of the English language. This is also an indicator to the fact that for the graduates and some who already had a Ph.D. in their respective field of specialty, the inability to secure employment where they could practice what they have learned in the labour market pushes them to seek for an alternative. Another side to this is that the respondents are having difficulties in getting a job in their specialty as a result of discrimination.

The study also reveals that the respondents who came initially to study have a higher possibility of being employedthan those who arrived in Russia to seek employment opportunities. Though the migrants who came for economic reasons have a higher education, they have fewer chances to get employment because of the dearth of the competency of the Russian language. The role played by social bond and links is limited mostly to an advisory role. The Nigerian Community Russia (NCR) is the body that sees to the plights of Nigerians living in Russia and presently as most of the respondents discussed which was also confirmed by the leader of the organization, the core duty of the organization is mostly advisory. Most of the respondents, however, wished that they were in another country such as UK, Canada, Ireland, and the USA because they are of the opinion that there are better chances that would be opened for them in those countries.

Russia is economically more developed than Nigeria and saying that labour migrants move mainly for economic reasons may not be altogether true without considering a factor that could influence such a decision which is integration in both the social and economic aspect of the country of intended destination. The level of integration enjoyed by labourmigrants in the social and economic spheres of their new environment help to shape their perception of the country and influences their decision on migration.

Appendix

Research guide

1. FIRST IS NAME OF ORGANIZATION AFFILIATION: I am a Master student of the Higher School of Economics, studying Population and Development. This research is done in fulfilment of an academic work.

2. FOLLOWED BY INFORMED CONSENT WHICH SUMMARIZES THE RESEARCH INTENTION: I would like to seek your consent to record our conversation and also to use it for an academic purpose which could also be considered in formulating policies regarding migrants. Do you agree that I use the information provided for academic work?

3. Then Respondents confirmation of willingness (optional - once they give a go-ahead)

QUESTIONNAIRES

* BIOGRAPHY

1. What is your name? (optional)

2. Which part of Nigeria are you from?

3. How old are you? (optional)

4. Are you married (to a Russian)?

5. Can you briefly explain your academic background?

6. What is your academic discipline?

* REASONS TO LEAVE NIGERIA

1. When did you leave Nigeria?

2. How old were you when you left Nigeria?

3. What is/are the motivating factors that influenced your decision to leave Nigeria?

4. What are those countries you have in mind to travel to before leaving Nigeria?

* HOW AND WHY DID THEY CHOOSE RUSSIA AS A DESTINATION?

1. Why did they choose Russia as a destination? (What are the things that you think your country can't give you but you can get here?)

2. Do you have anyone in Russia who told you to come here?

* EXPERIENCE IN RUSSIA

1. How long have you been in Moscow?

2. When you first got to Russia, how did you feel?

3. How have you been able to cope with the climate, culture?

4. Nigerians believe in interdependency and collective responsibility, how have you been able to adapt into this new culture?

5. How did you learn the Russian language?

6. How would you rate your knowledge of the Russian language?

7. What prompted your reason to stay in Russia?

8. How would you compare living in Nigeria and Moscow in terms of job opportunities?

9. How would you describe transiting from being a student to a labour migrant?

10. What job are you doing presently?

11. How long did it take you to get your first job?

12. Tell me about the challenges you encountered looking for job?

13. How long have you been on the job?

14. How many job have you had before your present job?

15. What kind of discrimination have you felt in your job search?

16. How would you explain the relationship you have with Russians in your place or work?

17. What language do you use for communication in your place of work? (for those who have worked in more than one place, What is the language of communication in all the places you have worked?)

18. Compared to your colleagues at work with whom you have equal or higher academic qualification to, how would you compare your salary to theirs?

19. What opportunities are in the labour market especially for Nigerians to tap from?

20. What reasons have you had to quit or change your job?

21. What is the role of your knowledge of the Russian language in getting a job?

22. With the amount you earn, how would you compare the cost of living?

23. How much do you earn?Is your salary below or above the 50,000 rouble range?

24. Tell me about accommodation in Russia.

25. How would you describe your relationship with your Russian neighbours?

26. In what kind of settlement have you lived (or living)?

27. How often do you get to relate to other Nigerians?

28. Do you have Russian friends?

29. Where do you get to meet?

30. What general challenge do you and other migrants from Nigeria are facing here in Moscow?

31. What is the role of the Nigerian Community in helping you (in getting a job and accommodation)?

32. What is your view about the labour market for migrants especially Blacks/Nigerians?

33. What is your view about Russia and Russians?

34. What regret do you have living in Moscow?

35. Having lived in Russia, would you have wished you were in a different country?

36. How would you justify your purpose of coming to Russia; what have you been able to achieve?

37. On the scale of 1-5, how would you weigh your achievement with your purpose of coming?

* FURTHER PLANS, MIGRATION STRATEGY

1. How long do you intend to stay in Russia if the situation allows?

2. If you have the opportunity to leave Russia, what will be your position?

3. If you are to leave Russia, where would you rather go?

4. Why would you consider going there?

5. Is there anything else you'd like to share which I haven't asked about?

Appreciation: I want to say thank you for sparing time with me to go through series of questions that bother on migrants and your personal experience in Moscow.

RESPONDENTS

Number of respondents: 21

USSR Group

NAME DESCRIPTION

1 Enoch A male respondent aged 54; he is from the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. He had all is higher school education in Russia and currently has a PhD in Engineering. He is married to a Nigerian and has businesses which he runs.

2 Raymond A male respondent aged 53 from the South-South region of Nigeria. He is married to a Russia and has a master certificate in Business Economics and Management. He is a business consultant and also operates his own business.

3 Seyi A male respondent aged 52 from the South-West of Nigeria. Formerly married to a Russian but divorced. He has a master certificate in Information and Communication Technology. He is employed by a language institute as a teacher.

4 Tonye A male respondent. He is 54 years old, married to a Russian. He is from the South East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. He is a PhD holder in Law. He is a law consultant.

5 Sekoni A male respondent who came initially to study. He is 50 years old and married to a Nigeria. He hails from the South-West geopolitical zone of Nigeria. He had his higher education in Russia and currently holds a PhD in Economics. He is employed by an international organization in Russia.

6 Justice A male respondent aged 51. He is from the South East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. He is married to a Russia and has been living in Russia for over 30 years. He has all his higher education in Russia and currently holds a PhD in Law. He also a chamber where he works in legal cases.

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