ASTANA - Kazakhstan's positive migration balance is increasing due to a significant increase in the number of Kandas (ethnic Kazakhs) returning to their historical homeland from China. In 2025, 7,405 Chinese citizens arrived in the republic for permanent residence, 30 times more than in 2021 (249 people), Kazinform reports, citing data from the Bureau of National Statistics and the Migration Service Committee of Kazakhstan.
All those arriving from China received Kandas status, including 3,690 families. According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, the majority of those repatriated are able-bodied youth – approximately 57.4%. The flow of repatriates also includes qualified specialists in healthcare, agriculture, and creative professions.
While previously, Kandas settled primarily in regions bordering China—the Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions, as well as the Zhetysu region—the migration flow is now shifting toward larger cities. More and more repatriates are choosing Astana and Almaty for permanent residence.
To facilitate the adaptation of migrants, Kazakhstan has strengthened state support measures. Specifically, the housing certificate for Kandas to purchase housing has been increased to 7 million tenge.
"The main influx, coming from China and Uzbekistan, is due to the presence of large ethnic diasporas in these countries. Since 1991, more than 378,000 Kazakhs have returned to their historical homeland from China," the Migration Service Committee noted.
Since the beginning of this year, approximately 3,300 ethnic Kazakhs have already received Kandas status. The Ministry of Labor of the Republic of Kazakhstan also announced the launch of an innovative system: starting in 2026, the procedure for assigning candidacy status will be carried out using artificial intelligence technologies, which will speed up application processing and increase the transparency of the process.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
April 10, 2026