The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Kazakhstan has provided data on ethnic Kazakhs who have returned to their historical homeland and obtained the status of "kandas" since the beginning of 2024. As of March 1, 2800 ethnic Kazakhs have returned and received the "kandas" status.
Since 1991, a total of 1,131.1 thousand ethnic Kazakhs have returned to the country. The Ministry of Labor reports that the new arrivals in Kazakhstan this year come from various countries, with the majority being from China, followed by Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Russia, and other nations.
Among the working-age "kandas," the level of education varies, with nearly 17% having a higher education, 21.3% having vocational education, 55.3% having secondary education, and 6.5% lacking formal education.
The ethnic Kazakhs who have arrived are settling in different regions of the country. The quota for the settlement of "kandas" in regions for 2024 is set at 2433 people, and as of March 1, 2024, 607 "kandas" have been resettled.
The government provides support to the resettled ethnic Kazakhs, including subsidies for relocation and monthly allowances for housing and utilities. To enhance the efficiency of voluntary resettlement, institutional measures have been taken to support employers participating in the resettlement process to northern regions.
Since 2023, Kazakhstan has been implementing a pilot mechanism for granting "kandas" status through a simplified process via Kazakh embassies. As of February 1, 2024, 1306 ethnic Kazakhs have returned and obtained the "kandas" status.
