At the call of blood

Holders of the “Ata Zholy” card, introduced, by the way, in 2023, receive a 10-year residence permit upon entering Kazakhstan and independently choose a region for work or business.

The essence of the “Ata Zholy” card is that its owner, being a citizen of another country, has practically equal rights with citizens of Kazakhstan and Kandas.

In particular, these are the rights to receive social benefits and services in medical institutions within the framework of the guaranteed volume of medical care (GVMC), to employment and entrepreneurial activity, as well as to receive free education in state educational institutions and to acquire citizenship of our republic in a simplified manner.

But with all this, the “Ata Zholy” card does not give the right to vote and be elected to parliament and maslikhats, participate in the republican referendum and have access to civil service.

According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, 27 such cards were received by business immigrants ready to develop their business in our republic, and 38 more cards were received by sought-after specialists: engineer-physicist, engineer-mathematician, chemical engineer, maxillofacial surgeons, pediatricians and others. They came to us from Russia, Germany, Mongolia, China, the USA, Israel, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Finland, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

As for the Kandases, 1,070 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to their historical homeland since January 1, 2025. 51.9 percent of them are from China, 37.5 percent are from Uzbekistan, 7.1 percent are from Turkmenistan, 1.8 percent are from Russia, and 1.7 percent are from other countries.

Moreover, 16.7 percent of those of working age have higher education, 32.9 percent have secondary specialized education, 48.4 percent have general secondary education, and 1.9 percent have no education.

The following regions with labor shortages have been identified for resettling the Kandas: Akmola, Abay, Atyrau, Kostanay, Pavlodar, East Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan and North Kazakhstan regions.

The quota for accepting Kandas in the resettlement regions for 2025 is 2,309 people.

Those of them who settle in the above-mentioned regions are provided with state support measures in the form of a relocation subsidy - a one-time payment for the head of the family, as well as for each family member of 70 MCI (this year it is 275,240 tenge). From 15 to 30 MCI are charged for renting housing and paying for utilities monthly for one year (1 monthly calculation indicator is equal to 3932 tenge).

Vladislav SHPAKOV, Astana