Establishment of Quota for Employment of Foreign Labour Force in the Republic of Kazakhstan

From 1 August 2024, the Department of Employment and Social Programs of the Republic of Kazakhstan (RK) will start accepting applications to establish a quota* for the recruitment of foreign labour force (FLF) for 2025.

* Quota for employment of FLF is the maximum permissible number of FLF allowed to be hired by an employer for labour activities in the territory of the RK. Based on the allocated quota, employers are granted work permits to attract foreign labour force.

Applications for the quota are accepted until 1 October 2024. Employers submit to the respective Department, in the territory of which foreign employees will carry out labour activities, applications for the recruitment of FLF according to Annex 1 to the "Rules for establishing a quota for the recruitment of foreign labour to the Republic of Kazakhstan and its distribution", approved by Order No. 274 of the Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan dd. 30 June 2023.

In turn, work permits from local executive bodies for hiring FLF are not required for a certain list of persons, including foreigners and stateless persons:

1. business immigrants who arrived to carry out entrepreneurial activities

2. citizens of the member states of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union dd. 29 May 2014

3. crew members of sea and river vessels, air and railway transport

4. persons attracted by participants and bodies of the Astana International Financial Center

5. first heads (directors) of Kazakhstani legal entities and their deputies with 100% foreign participation in their authorized capital

6. persons who are on business trips with business purposes, the duration of which does not exceed 120 calendar days in total within 1 calendar year

7. persons who have obtained an investor visa, except for family members and dependents

8. other persons.

If you are planning to attract foreign specialists to your company (for example, a project manager), you should apply for a quota in 2024 for them to perform labour activities in 2025. Then, if the quota is available, you can apply for a FLF work permit.

IMPORTANT: One of the grounds for refusal to issue a FLF work permit is exceeding the allocated quota. Accordingly, the employer should take care of the planned number of foreign employees in advance and carry out the relevant procedures.