Almost According to Stolypin
Kazakhstani citizens will be paid for voluntary relocation from megacities
Almost Like Stolypin
Kazakhstan has approved subsidies to be paid to citizens for voluntary relocation from major cities and overpopulated regions to areas with a labor shortage. The rules for granting the payments were approved by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the corresponding order was published in the online legal information database.
The regions of departure include Almaty, Astana, and Shymkent, as well as Zhambyl, Turkestan, and Mangystau Regions. The criteria were a population growth of over 2% over the last 10 years or a population density exceeding 6.4 people per square kilometer.
Support can be obtained when moving, for example, to East Kazakhstan, North Kazakhstan, Kostanay, Pavlodar, Abai, Karaganda, or Ulytau Regions, where the authorities note a need for workers.
The program provides for compensation of relocation costs and utility bills, provision of official housing or reimbursement of rental expenses, vocational training, and assistance in organizing business activities. Settlers will also be able to apply for a housing certificate. Subsidies are also provided for employers who hire participants of the program.
The amount of payments is calculated in monthly calculation indices (MCI). According to estimates, in 2027 a family of four to five people, subject to all conditions, can receive a total of about $20,000.
At the same time, the program foresees restrictions. In particular, citizens returning to their home region and who already own housing there, as well as those who fail to register at their new place of residence, will not be eligible for payments.
The funds received will have to be returned if it turns out that the program participant does not actually reside in the new region, fails to meet the condition of living and working there for five years, purchased housing from a close relative or outside the target settlement, or submitted forged documents or unreliable information.
The order comes into force on January 1, 2027. Certain provisions regulating the formation of funding needs and the transfer of payments through the state corporation "Government for Citizens" will take effect on July 1, 2027.
The new order will replace the voluntary resettlement rules approved in June 2023 and subsequent amendments to them. Various resettlement programs have been operating in Kazakhstan for years, but until now they have not been considered successful.
According to the Ministry of Labor data as of last summer, 73.9 thousand people have participated in the voluntary resettlement program since 2017, of whom 31 thousand managed to secure permanent employment.