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Abstract

The paper discusses legislative regulation of migration and resettlement of the population from other parts of the Russian Empire and from neighboring China to Semirechye oblast' in the second half of the XIX century - the beginning of the XX century. The comparative analysis of the legislative framework of the imperial resettlement policy of Russia in Semirechye will be based on the study of archival documents, including those from the Central State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the works of the authors who discussed the migration issues in the imperial period. Resettlement of Russians and other European peasants to Semirechye will be put into the context of the colonization of Central Asian realms of the Russian Empire. Interests of the Russian Empire and international commitments related to the return of the temporarily conquered Ili valley to the Qing Empire in accordance with the St. Petersburg Treaty of 1881, framed the resettlement of the population of the Ili region of China in 1883-1884. The migration of Uyghurs and Dungans to Semirechye from the Ili region will be discussed in the context of migration policy of the Russian Empire. The paper will discuss main stages of resettlement from western China and the European part of Russia to Semirechye, formation and activities of departmental bodies of the Turkestan and later, Steppe General Governorships, government’s measures of accommodation of settlers, relationship between local population and new settlers and other issues related to resettlement and migration policy.