Over 7,300 Ethnic Kazakhs Gain Kandas Status in 2024
As of June 1, 2024, a total of 7,353 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to Kazakhstan and received kandas status, a term for ethnic Kazakhs returning to their homeland. Since 1991, 1,135,700 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to the country.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Kazakhstan reported that more than half of the kandas who arrived this year are from China (49.4%). Others came from Uzbekistan (34.4%), Turkmenistan (6.3%), Mongolia (5.4%), Russia (3.2%), and other countries (1.3%).
Among the new arrivals, 59.1% are of working age, 31.2% are minors, and 9.7% are pensioners. Regarding education, 16.9% of working-age kandas have higher education, 22.6% have secondary specialized education, 55.3% have general secondary education, and 5.2% have no formal education.
Ethnic Kazakhs have settled in various regions across Kazakhstan. However, specific regions with labor shortages, such as Akmola, Abay, Kostanay, Pavlodar, East Kazakhstan, and North Kazakhstan, have been designated for kandas resettlement. The quota for these regions in 2024 is 2,433 people, with 1,697 kandas already relocated by June 1.
Kandas settling in these regions receive state support, including a relocation subsidy of 70 MCI-Minimum calculated indexes (258,400 tenge) for each family member. Additionally, for one year, they receive monthly subsidies for housing and utilities ranging from 15 to 30 MCI (55,300 to 110,700 tenge).
Since the beginning of the year, 1,405 candidates have benefited from various support measures, with 419 securing permanent employment. To enhance voluntary resettlement, institutional measures have been introduced to support employers in the northern regions. An economic mobility certificate has been established, providing up to 4.28 million tenge per family for housing costs.
Since 2023, a pilot mechanism allows kandas to apply for status through Kazakhstan’s embassies abroad, simplifying the process by addressing employment, housing, and status applications without requiring entry into Kazakhstan. To date, 9,569 applications have been submitted under this new system.
