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KAZAKHSTAN: Changes to Regional Work Permit Rules
December 14, 2015
New rules have been enforced this year which will see changes to regional work permit procedures and to hiring processes for first category employees.
The changes, which began to be implemented in September, meant that foreign workers can no longer extend their work permit to include another region. Should a foreign worker need authorisation to work in an another region to that which is not listed on their existing work permit, they will now need to complete a new work permit application for that region, and for any subsequent region they may need to visit for work.
Should a worker continue to hold a valid work permit approved for more than one region, this should be permissible to use until its expiration, upon which they will have to apply separately for each required region.
Although this decision will mean extra processing duties for employers, especially for those whose employees regularly work in multiple regions, a decision has also been made to extend the exemption period for business trips to a new region from 60 to 90 days, which is sure to provide some benefit.
The government has also eliminated the “special conditions” requirement applied to employers hiring for first category positions; i.e. managerial and company director posts.
Previously, employers were required to provide training and higher education for Kazakhstan nationals as well as create additional positions for nationals.
This reprieve from these obligations in regard to first category positions will no doubt benefit employers; however the quota for this category (no more than 30% of a company”s overall workforce) will remain enforced.
Should you require further information on work permits or Kazakhstan immigration, please contact us.
