Kazakhstan deports over 1,200 illegal migrants, including Uzbeks

During the operation, nearly 10,000 violations of migration laws were identified across Kazakhstan. Among them:

• 4,500 foreign nationals were found to have overstayed their visas.
• 2,500 foreigners were engaged in illegal employment.
• 60 individuals were working as unauthorized taxi drivers.

Kazakh courts ordered the deportation of 1,240 foreign nationals, all of whom have been banned from re-entering Kazakhstan for five years. Most of those expelled were from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, with additional cases involving migrants from Bangladesh, Egypt, Italy, Nigeria, and Madagascar.

Additionally, 2,200 individuals were fined over $4,000 each for failing to report the presence of foreign nationals to the police. Moreover, 500 employers who had illegally hired foreign workers were fined a total of $65,000. Authorities also identified five individuals who had previously violated regulations on foreign labor recruitment. These individuals are now under investigation under Article 395 of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code, which pertains to the repeated violation of foreign labor recruitment and employment laws.

Furthermore, 12 criminal cases have been opened against Kazakh citizens involved in legalizing the unlawful stay of foreign nationals under the charge of “Organizing Illegal Migration.” One notable case involved a dormitory manager at a university in the capital, who allegedly helped 56 migrant workers obtain temporary residence permits by falsely registering them as students in exchange for money.