Kazakhstan recently changed its immigration legislation. Many Russians are now heading to the borders to continue staying in the country for three months.
Kazakhstan will introduce new visa policies on Friday, which may increase the number of people in the country illegally.
More than 400,000 Russians live in Kazakhstan.
The majority of them arrived in the country in September after Russia announced the launch of the business.
Previously, Russians could stay in Kazakhstan for three months without a visa. It has been possible to extend the right of residence with the so-called “reset practice”, i.e. by making short trips outside the borders of Kazakhstan.
Now Kazakhstan is abolishing the reset policy, and after a 30-day stay, Russians must register with the authorities and apply for a residence permit.
The information of those fleeing the business launch may become public
By the end of 2022, there were only 36,000 Russians applied for an official residence permit (you will switch to another service) in Kazakhstan.
Many Russians who fled the business campaign cannot apply for a residence permit in Kazakhstan, because certain conditions must be met in order to be granted a residence permit.
One of the conditions is that the home country of the person applying for a residence permit does not pose obstacles to applying for a residence permit.
In addition from September (you switch to another service) Kazakhstan changed its extradition policy.
The country is committed to handing over to the Russian authorities persons who are suspected of having fled the movement. Back in the summer, Kazakhstan had announced that it would not extradite Russian citizens at the request of the authorities.
Kazakhstan announced a change in visa policy on December 31.
During January, thousands of Russians have traveled to Kazakhstan’s neighboring countries, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, to renew their right of residence in Kazakhstan before the new regulation comes into effect.
The tour operator tells the Russian independent media Meduzan (you switch to another service) according to that the demand for trips to Kazakhstan’s borders has exploded among Russian speakers in recent weeks.
Russians do not need a passport to travel to the country
According to data from the Russian security service FSB, 1.3 million Russians crossed the border with Kazakhstan between July and September.
Not all those who crossed the border are defectors, but around 400,000 Russians are estimated to have remained in Kazakhstan after September.
According to FSB data, 260,000 Russian men left for Kazakhstan after the declaration of mobilization.
The FSB bases its assessment on data from telephone operators. There are no exact figures on how many Russian reservists are hiding abroad.