Aidar Amrebayev, head of the Center for Applied Political Science and International Studies, has proposed that migration policy be assessed not only by the number of arrivals but also by their contribution to the country's economy and public life, reports infohub.kz.
According to the scholar, Kazakhstan has been bringing ethnic Kazakhs back to their historical homeland for decades. Over the years of independence, about 1.165 million people have arrived. In 2025 alone, 16,805 people received the status of oralman (ethnic Kazakh returnee).
Amrebayev noted that today the state is trying to take into account the economic component of this process. Migrants are directed to regions where there is a need for labor. Last year, 2,309 people moved there under the quota.
At the same time, Kazakhstan's migration policy is gradually changing. Now the focus is also on attracting people with sought-after knowledge and experience.
He recalled that in April this year, the President signed a decree on improving migration policy, which provides for the introduction of a "Golden Visa". It should simplify conditions for investors, entrepreneurs, and qualified specialists who can work in Kazakhstan, develop new projects here, and contribute to our country.
"This is a quite understandable approach. Many countries today compete for good specialists and entrepreneurs. Kazakhstan needs engineers, programmers, scientists, doctors, entrepreneurs, and investors. Therefore, when assessing migration, it is important to look not only at the number of people who arrived but also at how they integrate into the economy and public life of the country," Amrebayev wrote.
According to his data, among the able-bodied oralmans who arrived in 2025, 15% had higher education, 27.5% had specialized secondary education, and 51.2% had general secondary education. These figures show that issues of education, employment, and adaptation really matter.
"So, today Kazakhstan is developing two directions of migration policy at once. On the one hand, the country continues to accept ethnic Kazakhs returning to their historical homeland. On the other hand, Kazakhstan wants to attract specialists, entrepreneurs, and investors from different countries. Ultimately, the result matters. If a person comes and starts a business, creates jobs, engages in science, or brings new technologies, that becomes a contribution to the country's development. It is by such results that the effectiveness of the new migration policy should be assessed," the political scientist concluded.