Immigration news from Asia

The Immigrant Times reporting from Asia

> Hundreds feared dead in boat accident

> Migrant workers in Russia

> Iran to deport two million Afghan refugees

> Indian police raid Delhi slums

One day, after the refugee boat capsized, only a small number of people were rescued

MALAYSIA

Rohingya migrant boat capsizes off Malaysia, with hundreds missing presumed dead

November 2025: A maritime disaster has struck off the coast of western Malaysia, as a boat carrying members of the Rohingya minority from Myanmar capsized near the Malaysia–Thailand maritime border, leaving dozens confirmed dead and hundreds still missing. According to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the vessel set off from Myanmar’s Rakhine State three days ago and was part of a group of three smaller boats carrying some 300 people in total. The capsized craft is believed to have carried about 100 people, while the fate of the other two boats remains unknown.

By Monday morning (10 November), authorities had rescued 13 survivors and recovered at least seven bodies. The search-and-rescue zone has been widened to approximately 170 square nautical miles off the island of Langkawi and neighbouring waters.

The Rohingya are a largely stateless, Muslim-minority group who have faced severe persecution in Myanmar and live in overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh. Many undertake perilous sea journeys in the hope of reaching Malaysia, where, although they are not formally recognised as refugees, they sometimes find sanctuary and work.

Trafficking syndicates are reported to be heavily involved in organising these voyages, often charging thousands of dollars per passenger and packing large numbers into ill-equipped vessels.

A spokesperson for the MMEA stated that both air and sea assets from Malaysia and Thailand are coordinating in the rescue effort. In Thailand’s southern province of Satun, the navy and marine police recovered seven bodies, including two girls. The search operation will continue for up to a week.

Across 2025, more than 5,100 Rohingya are estimated to have made sea journeys out of Myanmar and Bangladesh; nearly 600 are already reported dead or missing.

This latest disaster underscores the urgent need for regional coordination to combat human trafficking networks and improve search-and-rescue capacity in Southeast Asian waters. For the Rohingya, the window of safe refuge is narrowing as countries clamp down on undocumented arrivals, even as violence and hunger escalate in their homelands and camps abroad.

Malaysia, although a destination for many Rohingya, does not officially recognise refugee status and has increasingly detained undocumented arrivals.

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RUSSIA / CENTRAL ASIA

Russia to face competition for migrant workers from Central Asia

October 2025: In its latest macroeconomic report, the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) offers a sobering yet forward-looking analysis of labour migration from Central Asia to Russia, a phenomenon that has shaped the region’s socio-economic landscape for over three decades. The report suggests that while Russia remains a key destination for migrant workers from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, demographic shifts and economic convergence are poised to reshape this dynamic in the coming years.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has relied heavily on young Central Asian workers to fill labour gaps, particularly in sectors like construction, agriculture, and services. Tajikistan, the poorest of the five Central Asian republics, has been especially dependent: in 2024, remittances and wages from abroad accounted for a staggering 47 per cent of its GDP.

But the EDB report warns that this model is nearing its limits. Birth rates in Tajikistan and neighbouring countries, once among the highest globally, are gradually declining. As these nations begin to resemble more economically developed countries demographically, the pool of young, mobile workers is shrinking. Simultaneously, wage gaps between Russia and Central Asia are narrowing, reducing the economic incentive to migrate.

Russia’s own demographic challenges, particularly in Siberia and other depopulated regions, mean that demand for migrant labour remains high. Yet xenophobic tensions, stricter migration controls, and economic uncertainty are making Russia a less attractive destination. The EDB forecasts that within a decade, the intensity of migration from Tajikistan could begin to decline, with a more pronounced shift expected over the next thirty years.

This raises critical questions: Can Russia adapt its labour market to a reduced inflow of migrants? Will Central Asian states be able to absorb returning workers or offer viable alternatives at home?

The report underscores the need for coordinated policy responses. For Russia, this may involve revisiting its migration frameworks to ensure legal protections and integration pathways for foreign workers. For Central Asian governments, the challenge lies in creating domestic employment opportunities and reducing reliance on remittances.

Moreover, the EDB hints at a broader regional rebalancing. As India and other Asian economies deepen ties with Central Asia, new migration corridors and investment flows may emerge. This could diversify labour destinations and reduce the singular dependence on Russia.

Further reading: Migrants from Central Asia suffer xenophobic abuse in Russia

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IRAN / AFGHANISTAN

Iran is on course to deport two million Afghan refugees

August 2025: Over the past six months, the Iranian government has deported 1.2 million Afghan refugees. According to a spokesperson of the country’s Interior Ministry, another 800,000 must leave the country by March next year, bringing the total number of Afghans leaving to two million out of six million Afghan nationals living in Iran.

The Iranian government spokesperson insisted that deportations were being carried out within the legal framework for foreigners without valid residence status and had nothing to do with xenophobia.

Ongoing conflicts, extreme poverty and high unemployment force many Afghans to cross the 300-kilometre border into Iran every year. Many of the undocumented Afghan refugees are employed in the low-wage sector in the big cities, for example, in small supermarkets or on construction sites. They are considered hard-working and cheap labour.

A key reason for the mass deportations and the halt to further entries is the dire economic situation and high unemployment in Iran. The oil-rich country is in the worst economic crisis in its history due to the nuclear dispute with the West and the associated international sanctions.

20 August update: Dozens of Afghans deported from Iran have died in a bus accident in their homeland. As reported by the news channel Tolonews, citing local sources, the people were on their way from the Iranian border to the capital Kabul when the accident occurred. The bus caught fire. According to official reports, the bus collided with a motorcycle and a truck in the western province of Herat. Most of the at least 50 dead were passengers on the bus.

Sources: Voice of America; Tehran Times; Deutsche Welle

ASIA / INDIA

Hundreds of Bengali workers flee Delhi suburb after immigration raids

August 2025: In Gurugram (population 880,000), a satellite city of India’s capital Delhi, recent immigration raids have created fear and panic. Police detained hundreds of migrant workers living in the city’s slum. They were mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims from West Bengal. Nonetheless, authorities described them as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Eyewitnesses described how detainees were placed in special detention centres and forced to present documents proving their citizenship. Some workers claim that although they had papers, they were deemed ‘fake’ and that they were beaten in police custody.

Police in Gurugram deny targeting any particular community. "Neither religion nor class has anything to do with the drive," a police spokesperson told the BBC. He added that out of the 250 people picked up, only ten have been identified as illegal migrants and will be deported. "Everyone else was released. No one was mistreated at the centres. We have been completely fair and objective."

As a result of the raids, hundreds of workers fled the city with their families overnight. This also caused problems within the city itself — the garbage collection system collapsed, and dozens of homes were left without domestic help. While some residents of affluent neighbourhoods were directly affected, fear and distrust among poor migrants only grew stronger.

Raids targeting poor Muslim communities are not a new phenomenon. However, in recent years, especially under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, deportation measures targeting Muslims from Bangladesh have intensified. A new directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs, issued in May 2025, requires all states to form special units to identify illegal migrants and verify their documents within 30 days.

Human rights activists highlight the main issue with the procedure: even after verification, suspects are not issued an official certificate confirming their citizenship. This allows authorities to detain them again at any time. As a result, thousands of Bengali Muslims in the outskirts of Indian cities are forced to keep their documents under their pillows, living in constant fear of deportation.

Sources: BBC; The Indian Express