The situation

The 2018 annual quota for foreign employees in Kazakhstan has been set at 4.2%, the same as last year’s quota.

• Breakdown of quota. The national quota is broken down further by economic activity and region, but only the economic activity data has been released at this time. A more specific breakdown per region is expected by February.

• Limits for certain industries. The quota shows limited availability for foreign workers in certain industries (known as economic activities) such as power supply, gas supply, transport, financial and insurance sectors, scientific research and the arts.

• Impact. Employers should apply for initial work permits and work permit renewals in advance while the quota is still available, particularly for spots in activities with limited availability.  
• Background.
  • Employers seeking to sponsor foreign workers in Kazakhstan can only obtain a work permit if a quota spot is available.
  • Quotas are created by the Kazakhstani government and regulate the amount of foreign workers in the country.
  • If a quota spot is not available, a foreign national’s work permit application will automatically be rejected.
  • The quota is set based on the amount of quota requests employers submit by the previous August deadline.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to emea@fragomen.com.