Slightly more than 9,000 ethnic Kazakhs returned to their historical homeland in Kazakhstan and received the status of kandas. In total, over the years of independence, about 1.1 million people arrived in the country. State support measures are provided to accommodate and integrate ethnic Kazakhs. According to the representative of the country’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the population, the state allocates relocation grants and covers housing rents. The regional resettlement quota is also a good state assistance.
“The most important financial aid is the state subsidies allocated in case of moving to those regions that are determined by the country’s government. These are Akmola, Atyrau, Kostanai, Pavlodar, as well as East Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan and North Kazakhstan regions. In such cases, a lump-sum payment of 70 monthly calculation indexes is allocated to each family member. To date, it accounts for 214,000 tenge. Also, the state allocates financial assistance to cover rental costs and utility payments for 12 months,” explained Dastan Aitkulov, spokesperson for Kazakh Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population.
In addition, ethnic Kazakhs who received the status of kandas are exempted from paying customs duties on property for personal use, including vehicles upon entry into the country. They will be able to get education as part of quotas for admission to secondary and higher educational institutions.