Over 6,000 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to their historical homeland and received the Kandas status since the beginning of the year. According to the Kazakh Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, more than half of them came from Uzbekistan, others moved from China, Russia, Turkmenistan, Mongolia and other countries. Immigrants mainly settled in the Almaty, Mangystau, Turkistan and Zhambyl regions, as well as in Astana, Almaty and Shymkent cities. Most of the ethnic Kazakhs, namely 70 percent, are of working age. Almost all of them have university, vocational or secondary education degrees.
