Translated with AI
Kazakhstan plans to tighten requirements for foreign citizens applying for residency permits. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said applicants will now need a higher level of proficiency in the state language, Fergana.ru reports, citing Deutsche Welle.
According to him, significant changes have been made to the country's migration policy. Authority to issue residence permits has been transferred to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, which, on February 13, implemented a "digital scoring" system. This involves an automated assessment of solvency and reliability, applicable to all foreign citizens without exception.
One of the key elements of the new system is mandatory testing of Kazakh language proficiency. The required level is now B1, which requires understanding the main ideas of texts and the ability to communicate on familiar topics. Previously, until April 10, the minimum level was A1.
The second stage of the assessment remains unchanged. It includes a review of family composition, education level, work experience, professional competencies, health status, and the presence of relatives in Kazakhstan. Priority remains given to specialists in demand by the country's economy.
Additional innovations are also being introduced. Specifically, applications are now only available in certain regions, a list of which is approved by the government. This list includes certain districts of the Akmola region, the Abay region, as well as the East Kazakhstan, Kostanay, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan, and Ulytau regions.
However, cities with populations over one million—Almaty, Astana, and Shymkent—are not included in the list of priority regions, effectively limiting the ability to obtain residence permits in these cities.
Another mandatory step is a special interview with local authorities. If the candidate successfully passes all scoring stages, they will receive a notification, which will allow them to submit documents to the migration service for permanent residence.
No official confirmation of the change in the residence permit rules has been published yet. The first information about it appeared in relocation chats, where Russian and Ukrainian citizens who had moved to Kazakhstan reported being denied residence permit applications due to failing the state language test.
The reasons for the delay in the official publication of the new regulations remain unknown. However, details of the updated migration policy are expected to be released soon on official Kazakh government websites and in the media.
