Category: NEWS

10,000 foreigners are deported from Kazakhstan amid crackdown on migration violations

First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Baurzhan Alenov reports the deportation of nearly 10,000 foreign citizens from Kazakhstan since the beginning of 2025 at a recent government meeting addressing migration trends and enforcement measures.

He also underlined a consistent rise in the number of foreign arrivals to the country. More than 7.5 million people entered Kazakhstan in the first half of 2025, while 7.2 million departed. It shows a net increase of 600,000 compared to the same period in 2024. Nearly 90% of those arriving came from post-Soviet states.

As Alenov stated, 97% of foreign citizens comply with migration laws. Nevertheless, there are more than 200,000 individuals who have faced administrative penalties. They have fined 46,000 for violating residency rules, and they have deported almost 10,000 with a five-year ban on re-entry.

Also, over 2,000 employers had to pay fines for the illegal employment of foreign workers. They have opened seven criminal cases against repeat offenders.

Nearly 212,000 foreign nationals reside in Kazakhstan on a permanent basis as of mid-2025. Almaty has the largest concentration (42,000), then follow the Almaty region (32,000), and both Astana and the Karaganda region (17,000 each). The rise of the number of permanent foreign residents over the past three years reached 42%.

There are also around 430,000 temporary foreign residents in Kazakhstan. Among them, there are 360,000 labor migrants, 8,000 students and 44,000 tourists. 17,000 foreigners arrived to reunite with families.

According to Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, it needs to enforce migration laws. Over 7,000 violations detected in May alone during nationwide operations are a clear signal for this.

Bektenov said that it is necessary to address such incidents promptly and actively implement digital tools, such as migrant ID cards, issued at border entry points, to improve monitoring and regulation.

The Prime Minister also gave the Ministry of Internal Affairs the instruction to tighten administrative oversight. He called on the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection to enhance regulation of private agencies involved in sending Kazakh citizens abroad for work.

Bektenov concluded that these agencies currently operate without accountability or oversight. He expects the Ministries to propose legislative amendments to require licensing of such activities by year’s end. Bektenov also instructed the Ministry of Labor to submit a draft Concept of Migration and Demographic Policy by October 1, aligning with the Concept of Regional Policy being developed through 2030.

According to the data collected by The Times of Central Asia, in 2025 the majority of foreign labor migrants have come to Kazakhstan from China, Uzbekistan, Turkey, and India. They work primarily in the construction sector.

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Employers have to choose between hiring a foreigner or shutting down the business

Data from the National Employment Service show a steady growth of the number of foreign workers in Serbia. They have issued over 52,000 work permits in 2024, mostly to citizens of China, Turkey, Russia, India, and Nepal.
Although it has become easier to hire foreign nationals due to recent amendments to the Law on Employment of Foreigners, there are some challenges that employers still face, from language barriers to the risk of workers leaving the company.
Equally, the employment of foreign labour in Serbia has become easier due to legislative changes, investment in construction, the emigration of domestic workers, and high demand for workers in the hospitality industry. Nevertheless, reports of an agreement with Ghana on the import of labour have been denied by the Ministry of Labour.
As Jelena Jevtović of the Serbian Employers’ Union told Insajder, there are worker mobility agreements between Serbia and many countries, which causes an influx of foreign workers.
As she noted, they have submitted reform initiatives for the education system for years.
According to Jevtović, the aim of a list of shortage occupations is to facilitate the implementation of the Law on Employment of Foreigners.
It is also necessary to mention the Open Balkan initiative when it comes to employing foreign nationals. Nevertheless, not many people have used that option to enter the domestic labour market.
Also, Insajder discussed with the interlocutor educational profiles that Serbian employers most commonly employ, the procedure, and obstacles are when hiring a foreign worker.
The amendments to the Law on Employment of Foreigners brought a general digitalization last year.
The police, the National Employment Service, and the Central Registry together issue the “single residence and work permit,” and the foreign worker collects it at the Ministry of the Interior.
Nevertheless, the employer can have problems with it, because under the previous regulation, there was the assurance that only he could employ the worker with the permit valid for one year.
It is also necessary to mention issues arising with foreigners from countries under the visa regime. Some of them take advantage of the possibility to travel to other countries after receiving residency approval in Serbia.
Jelena Jevtović also mentions the diverse situation concerning the structure of foreign workers in relation to the parts of the world they come from, and where most of them originate.
Nevertheless, she assesses experiences with foreign workers as mostly positive.
Although, as she says, most foreign workers are generally satisfied with the conditions, there are things they don’t like.

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