Over 14.8 Thousand Ethnic Kazakhs Obtained Kandas Status Since the Start of 2025

Since the beginning of the year, 14,828 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to Kazakhstan and received kandas status, according to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. In total, since 1991, the country has welcomed 1.162 million ethnic Kazakhs back to their historical homeland.

Data shows that 44.5% of this year’s arrivals came from Uzbekistan, 43.6% from China, 4.1% from Turkmenistan, 3% from Mongolia, while 2.5% arrived from Russia and 2.3% from other countries.

As of 1 December 2025, 57.4% of the new arrivals are of working age, 34% are minors, and 8.6% are pensioners. Among those able to work, 15% have higher education, 27.6% hold vocational degrees, 51.1% completed general secondary education, and 6.3% have no formal education.

Ethnic Kazakhs have settled across various regions, though several labour-short northern and eastern regions have been designated as priority relocation zones, including Abai, Akmola, Kostanay, Pavlodar, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan, and North Kazakhstan regions.

The 2025 relocation quota for these regions is 2,309 kandas, of which 2,218 have already been resettled as of December. Arriving families receive government support, including a one-time relocation subsidy of 70 MCI (around 275,200 tenge) for each family member, as well as monthly housing and utilities payments ranging from 15 to 30 MCI (59,000–118,000 tenge) for one year.

Since the beginning of the year, various forms of assistance have been provided to 1,279 kandas, including permanent employment for 356 individuals.

To strengthen voluntary relocation, the government has also introduced incentives for employers in northern regions, alongside a new economic mobility certificate. This certificate can be used for home purchase, construction, or for covering part of the initial mortgage payment—up to 50% of the housing cost or a maximum of 4.56 million tenge per family, provided as a non-repayable grant.