Kazakhstan tightens entrance rules for citizens of EEU countries, including Russia

Kazakhstan has announced that they will tighten entrance rules for citizens of countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, including Russians.

A draft resolution adopted on 31 December, published on Tuesday (17 January), and which will become effective on 27 January will restrict citizens of countries of the Eurasian Economic Union to 90 days visa-free in Kazakhstan within any 180-day period.

Notably, this rule change will affect hundreds of thousands of Russians who have fled to Kazakhstan escaping mobilisation to fight in Ukraine. Currently, citizens of Russia and other EEU countries can theoretically leave Kazakhstan after 90 days, only to immediately return for another 90 days visa-free, and so on. The rule change closes this loophole which had enabled some foreigners to effectively reside permanently in Kazakhstan without being officially registered.

It therefore makes Kazakhstan an unviable permanent destination for Russians fleeing conscription, and for the many Kyrgyz migrant workers who had exploited the loophole to work unofficially in the country.

The amendments also relax the rules for citizens of countries currently able to stay for only 30 days visa-free. Also now allowed to stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period from 27 January includes citizens of western European states, the USA, Canada, China and the UAE.

The changes will likely also result in Russians fleeing the draft favouring Georgia, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, who retain very liberal visa policies with Russia. Indeed, all three have proven to be very popular destinations for Russians escaping the partial mobilisation announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 21 September last year.

According to Kommersant, in 2022 over 5.6 million foreigners visited Kazakhstan, including 2.9 million Russians. In September alone, 406,000 Russians entered Kazakhstan, the majority of whom arrived after 21 September.

source: commonspace.eu with eurasianet, Kommersant, and Government of Kazakhstan
photo: The Astana Times

 

 

 

 

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Key European countries back Denmark in the face of Trump's continuing insistence on taking over Greenland

Key European countries back Denmark in the face of Trump's continuing insistence on taking over Greenland

 Six major European countries have declared their support to Denmark following renewed insistence by the US that it must have control over Greenland. "Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations," said the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain, in a joint statement, issued on Tuesday (6 January), together with Denmark. On Sunday, Donald Trump said the US "needed" Greenland - a semi-autonomous region of fellow Nato member Denmark - for security reasons. He has refused to rule out the use of force to take control of the territory, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that an attack by the US would spell the end of Nato. The issue of Greenland's future resurfaced in the wake of the US military intervention in Venezuela, during which elite troops went in to seize the country's President Nicolás Maduro and take him to face drugs and weapons charges in New York. Following the raid, Trump said the US would "run" Venezuela for an unspecified period of time. He also said the US was returning to an 1823 policy of US supremacy in its sphere of influence in the Western hemisphere - and he warned a number of countries the US could turn its attention to them. The US military raid in Venezuela has reignited fears that the US may consider using force to secure control of Greenland. A day after the raid, Katie Miller - the wife of one of Trump's senior aides - posted on social media a map of Greenland in the colours of the American flag, alongside the word "SOON". On Monday, her husband Stephen Miller said it was "the formal position of the US government that Greenland should be part of the US". In an interview with CNN, he also said the US "is the power of Nato. For the US to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend Nato and Nato interests, obviously Greenland should be part of the US." Asked repeatedly whether the US would rule out using force to annex it, Miller responded: "Nobody's going to fight the US over the future of Greenland." Stressing they were as keen as the US in Arctic security, the seven European signatories of Tuesday's joint statement said this must be achieved by Nato allies, including the US "collectively" - whilst "upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders". Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the statement and called for "respectful dialogue". "The dialogue must take place with respect for the fact that Greenland's status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity," Nielsen said. Trump has claimed that making Greenland part of the US would serve American security interests due to its strategic location and its abundance of minerals critical to high-tech sectors. Greenland, which has a population of 57,000 people, has had extensive self-government since 1979, though defence and foreign policy remain in Danish hands. While most Greenlanders favour eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the US.

Popular