During a plenary session on April 11, 2024, Kazakhstan's Senate approved amendments to the law aimed at enhancing legislation in the areas of population migration and the criminal-executive system. The initiative, put forward by senators, seeks to improve legislation in migration and criminal-executive system areas, enhance state control mechanisms in migration, ensure citizen rights guarantees in emergencies, and address existing legal gaps.
The law's objectives include restricting entry and citizenship acquisition in Kazakhstan for foreigners convicted of crimes against minors' sexual integrity, prohibiting entry for foreigners involved in extremist or terrorist activities, and defining the procedure for state control compliance in migration legislation. The legislation establishes the verification process for legal and physical entities employing foreign workers by territorial law enforcement bodies.
Moreover, the law regulates the use of expired identity and other documents in emergencies when renewal or replacement is not possible. Such documents will be considered valid regardless of their expiration date. Vice Minister of Internal Affairs Igor Lepekh clarified that the law prohibits entry not only for individuals convicted of pedophilia but also for those involved in organized crime, serious crimes, or extremism.
Lepekh emphasized that this practice is common worldwide and reiterated that individuals banned from entry will be monitored through the migration police system "Berkut." Any attempts by these individuals to enter the country will result in an immediate ban. This measure ensures that banned individuals will not be able to enter Kazakhstan. In a separate development, on February 14, 2024, the lower house of the Parliament, the Majilis, approved in the second reading a bill aimed at improving legislation in population migration.
