Kazakhstan to introduce tailored visa regimes for four categories of foreigners

First Vice-Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Yerbol Tuyakbayev made this announcement during a roundtable on the presidential decree, designed to create favorable conditions to attract highly qualified professionals, foreign investors, and entrepreneurs to Kazakhstan.

According to him, Kazakhstan plans to roll out an Altyn (Golden) Visa, set to become one of the key instruments of the new migration policy and aimed at drawing in strategic investors and highly skilled professionals.

In addition, digital residency and simplified entry procedures will be introduced for highly qualified specialists and investors. To achieve this, the country will implement a classification system for foreign nationals arriving for employment.

The Labor Ministry suggests identifying four main categories: Business migrants; Highly qualified professionals with unique knowledge and competencies; Mid-level skilled specialists - workforce hired by employers under the current system; Migrant workers employed by individuals for household chores.

A separate visa regime will apply for each category, taking into account the purpose of entry, skill level, and duration of stay.

A key element of the proposed model is the possibility of transitioning from this visa to long-term residency status after a specified period of employment or investment activity, said Tuyakbayev.

He added that holders of this status will be able to receive a number of incentives, including tax breaks, access to banking infrastructure, the healthcare system, educational services, and licensed activities.

Additionally, the government intends to streamline administrative processes, cut down application wait times, and adopt a single-window principle for interaction with government agencies. Furthermore, Kazakhstan plans to launch the unified QazETA digital platform, which will feature an e-Residency module and the e-Residency Invest program.

Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had announced the continuation of negotiations on facilitation of visa requirements with Schengen area countries.