Kazakhstan is considering a major expansion of the professions that can qualify foreign specialists for permanent residence, with the government proposing to increase the eligible list from 51 professions to 174.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population published a draft order on the Open NPA regulatory portal on September 21. The public consultation period is open until October 6.
The proposal would amend Order No. 49, adopted by the ministry in 2023, which established the existing list of in-demand professions and the procedure for determining which occupations should be included.
According to the ministry’s summary, the expanded list has been prepared in response to the needs of Kazakhstan’s national economy and its priority sectors.
The proposed list itself has not been published on the portal. After a commenter questioned the absence of the full list, the ministry said the portal now publishes the main content of draft regulations rather than necessarily providing the complete text.
Professions targeted by the proposed expansion
According to Tengrinews, the additional professions cover a broad range of sectors, including medicine, engineering and construction, digital technology, energy, transportation, agriculture and education.
The ministry has linked the proposed expansion to shortages of qualified specialists in sectors considered important to the country’s economy.
The existing list already includes numerous technology-related occupations, ranging from software developers to cloud-computing specialists. It also covers medical professionals such as neurosurgeons, various engineering positions and creative occupations including video editors.
How the permanent residence pathway works
Kazakhstan introduced the professions-based pathway for permanent residence after Order No. 49 came into force in 2023.
A 2024 amendment to migration legislation introduced a visa for foreign nationals working in in-demand professions. Holders of this visa can subsequently apply for permanent residence.
Article 7 of the Law on Migration of Population directs holders of the relevant visa to the internal affairs authorities when applying for a permanent residence permit. Article 49 provides an important exemption: foreign nationals employed in in-demand professions are not required to demonstrate financial solvency.
If the proposed expansion is approved, specialists in the newly added professions would also benefit from this exemption.
The Interior Ministry’s regulations describe the professions-based residence route as a simplified procedure. Applicants must submit a petition issued by the relevant government body responsible for their sector.
The petition identifies the applicant’s occupation according to Kazakhstan’s National Classifier of Occupations and confirms that the applicant satisfies the applicable requirements concerning their profession, qualification level, diploma, professional experience and other qualifications.
However, the status is linked to continued employment in the relevant occupation. Kazakhstan can cancel a permanent residence permit obtained through the professions list if the holder has not worked in the listed profession for 183 days during any 12-month period following issuance.
Limited data on the number of beneficiaries
The ministry’s explanation of the draft order does not provide an estimate of how many additional foreign specialists could become eligible if the list is expanded.
There also appears to be no publicly available consolidated figure showing how many permanent residence permits have been issued through the professions-based route since it was introduced in 2023.
According to figures reported by Tengrinews, Kazakhstan had 241,000 foreign nationals holding permanent residence on March 1, 2026. The figure does not distinguish between the different routes used to obtain permanent residence.
Technology specialists have an additional pathway through the Digital Nomad Residency pilot.
Under that program, Astana Hub, Kazakhstan’s technology park, reviews applications from foreign IT professionals. The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development then determines whether an applicant works in an occupation classified as an in-demand IT profession. Successful applicants can subsequently apply online for preliminary approval of a permanent residence permit.
By August 2026, 250 IT specialists had obtained permanent residence through the pilot, The Astana Times reported, citing Astana Hub.
Astana Hub had received 1,517 applications from nationals of 71 countries under the Digital Nomad Residency pilot and the related Digital Nomad Visa program. It had issued 1,069 petitions under the two programs.
Astana Hub has emphasized that receiving a petition does not automatically result in a residence permit, as the final decision remains with the relevant state authorities.
Network School establishes an Astana presence
The expansion of Kazakhstan’s programs for attracting international technology professionals coincides with the opening of Network School in Astana.
The community officially opened in the capital on September 2, according to Azattyq Rýhy, citing the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. Network School is designed as a membership-based community where technology entrepreneurs and remote workers can live and work alongside one another.
The project was founded in 2024 by Balaji Srinivasan, a former chief technology officer of Coinbase. It was previously based in Johor, Malaysia, before relocating its operations to Kazakhstan.
In July, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with Srinivasan covering the establishment of the campus.
Business Insider reported that the Network School campus is located on the fifth floor of Astana Hub. Network School has also said that its agreement with Kazakhstan includes expedited visa arrangements.
The broader immigration reforms behind the proposal
The proposed expansion of the professions list forms part of a broader effort to attract foreign talent and investment.
The draft order cites Presidential Decree No. 1242, issued on April 25, as one of its legal foundations. The decree gives the government until the end of 2026 to implement measures aimed at improving the investment climate and attracting qualified foreign specialists.
The decree also reorganizes existing visa arrangements into three broad categories, including a qualified worker visa for specialists employed in professions identified as being in demand.
It also introduces the Altyn Visa, described by Tengrinews as a “Golden Visa.” Participants in the investment tax residency program of the Astana International Financial Centre will be eligible to apply under the new framework.
The decree provides different residence timelines depending on the visa category. The qualifying period ranges from one month for certain business visa holders to one year for temporary workers. Holders of qualified worker visas would generally qualify after six months, while eligible IT specialists would face a one-month period.
The Altyn Visa would also provide tax preferences. Holders would be exempt from individual income tax, property tax and land tax, with certain benefits extending to their family members.
The Ministry of National Economy has separately proposed amendments to the Tax Code concerning income received by Altyn Visa holders. The draft would add income received by visa holders and their family members to the categories of economic benefits excluded from an individual’s taxable income.
It would also add such income to the list of non-resident income that is not subject to taxation in Kazakhstan. The public consultation on that draft was scheduled to run until September 25, 2026, according to Tengrinews.
Altyn Visa and the existing investor visa
The Altyn Visa should be distinguished from Kazakhstan’s existing investor visa.
The investor visa was introduced in 2015, while a US$300,000 investment-based route was added in 2025. Kazakh Invest referred to the investor visa as a “golden visa” when announcing the 2025 rules.
The April presidential decree, however, establishes the Altyn Visa as a separate status with its own eligibility requirements.
The two programs therefore form part of Kazakhstan’s wider efforts to attract foreign capital and international professionals, but they operate under different legal frameworks.
What happens next
The proposed expansion has not yet taken effect. Until the new order is formally adopted, the existing list of 51 professions remains in force.
If approved, the expanded list of 174 professions would broaden the pool of foreign specialists who can use Kazakhstan’s simplified permanent residence pathway and benefit from the exemption from the financial-solvency requirement.
The proposal is currently undergoing public consultation, with comments accepted until October 6. The final scope of the list will depend on the version adopted after the consultation process.
