Over 1MM repatriates came back to Kazakhstan since independence
At the same time, the number of the repatriates coming to the northern regions of Kazakhstan has significantly decreased as they are choosing Astana and Almaty cities and the south of the country as a permanent residence.
In general, according to the Minister of Labor and Social Protection Tamara Duissenova, over 1 million ethnic Kazakhs returned to their historical homeland and received the status of oralman (returnee) in the period from 1991 till April 1, 2017. Over 16,400 families (33,754 people) in 2016 and 2,600 families (4,900 people) in Q1 2017 came back. As to the percentages of the people, returned in 2016, can be outlined as 39pct of underage children, 56pct of active working age people and 4.7pct of retirees. In 2017, the figures were 26.4, 67.3 and 6.3 percent respectively.
Most oralmans are coming to Kazakhstan from Uzbekistan, China, Mongolia and Turkmenistan.
In 2016, 7 regions were identified as the settlement areas for oralmans. Kazakhstanis willing to move to these regions will receive financial aid for relocation and housing rent for one year. It is planned that in 2017 the government will pay subsidies for relocation of 2,700 citizens.