Kazakhstan: New Work Permit Process Rules, Including Labor Market Test and New Online Portal
October 3, 2025
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At a Glance
- Employers hiring foreign nationals in Kazakhstan must now conduct a labor market test before they can submit a work permit application.
- Local worker quotas now apply to businesses that qualify as a small enterprise, that have more than 20 employees.
- There is also a new online work permit application portal.
- These reforms seek to preserve the domestic labor market amid increased immigration of foreign nationals into Kazakhstan.
The situation
Effective September 1, 2025, employers hiring foreign nationals under a work permit in Kazakhstan are subject to new rules and processes.
A closer look
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Labor market testing process. Employers must now post job vacancies on the Electronic Labor Exchange for 15 calendar days in the specific region where the work permit is being sought. Once 15 days have passed, the employer must include the vacancy registration code in the work permit application, and must notify the employment office that no suitable local candidate was found during the application process. |
The labor market test will increase the overall processing time for work permit applications by at least 15 calendar days. |
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New work permit application online platform. In addition to existing portals (egov.kz and elicense.kz), employers may now submit work permit applications via migration.enbek.kz. This new platform aims to simplify and centralize the application process. |
The old online portals are not updated with the new rules, therefore work permit applications and renewal applications should be submitted on the new portal that accommodates the labor market test processes. |
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Local worker quota. Enterprises that qualify as a small enterprise per financial indicators must now adhere to local staff quota rules once they have more than 20 employees. Previously, small enterprises were not subject to local staff quota rules, regardless the number of employees they had. |
Small businesses with more than 20 employees must now comply with the country’s quota rule, under which at least 70% of heads and deputies (including structural unit heads) and at least 90% of experts and qualified workers must be Kazakh nationals. This change adds compliance complexity for small employers hiring foreign workers in Kazakhstan. |
Background
The addition of the labor market test is the most substantial change to the Kazakh immigration process in recent years. These reforms seek to preserve the domestic labor market amid increased immigration of foreign nationals into Kazakhstan.
Looking ahead
There are no upcoming known changes to the Kazakhstani immigration system.
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 [email protected].
