“We will close all loopholes” Kazakhstan changes rules for foreign students

Tengrinews.kz — Kazakhstan is working to ensure that only genuine students, rather than migrants, enter the country on student visas, according to Acting Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek. Read the Tengrinews report to find out when the new rules will take effect.
Visas not for transit
As Sayasat Nurbek explained, the Ministry of Science, in cooperation with the National Security Committee, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is currently tightening screening processes for incoming foreign students. All procedures are being digitized.
According to the official, it is vital for Kazakhstan to understand who is entering the country and for what purpose.

"Over 37,000 foreign citizens are already pursuing higher education in Kazakhstan. This is, it must be said, a historical record for us. However, at the same time, it is very important that we attract 'high-quality' students who come specifically to study here, not for transit purposes," Nurbek said.

To achieve this, the "Study in Kazakhstan" digital platform has been launched. Foreigners wishing to pursue higher education in the country must now submit their documents to their chosen university through this centralized database.

"Through this platform, we can now see and understand who is arriving and who is not," the acting minister explained.

In the future, the plan is to process student visa applications entirely through the Study in Kazakhstan platform. If a foreign citizen is not registered on the platform and has not confirmed their enrollment, a visa will not be issued.
Rules for working with foreign students
Sayasat Nurbek also announced that the Ministry of Science has issued a special order establishing unified regulations for handling foreign students.
For example, if a student enrolls in a university, receives a study visa, and begins their studies, but is later expelled or leaves for any reason, this information is automatically transmitted to migration services. This allows authorities to immediately identify that the student no longer has grounds to remain in Kazakhstan on a study visa.
Efforts are also underway to allow foreign students to receive a visa for the entire duration of their studies at once, eliminating the need for annual document renewals.
As mentioned above, the process is being fully digitized. Furthermore, Face ID technology is planned to be used to verify student identities.
"We will close all loopholes"
According to Sayasat Nurbek, Face ID has already been implemented across all universities and is currently used to track attendance. These measures are intended to eliminate the possibility of using a student visa for other purposes, such as migration.
"We will close all loopholes," the acting minister assured.
The official also announced the creation of a special working group:

"We have formed a special working group to determine how we can, on one hand, simplify enrollment and the visa issuance process through the digital platform, and on the other hand, ensure a robust control mechanism is in place," Sayasat Nurbek explained.

All planned regulations are expected to be fully operational by the end of 2026, the acting minister added.
What was wrong with visa issuance
In recent years, cases have been uncovered in Kazakhstan where foreigners were enrolled in universities as a formality—not for actual study, but to legalize their stay in the country..
We previously reported on one such case where staff at a Kazakhstani university issued fictitious invitations for foreigners to study. To execute the scheme, the suspects entered into a sham contract with an entrepreneur to recruit foreign students and simulated the educational process.
Discussions regarding the tightening of student visa issuance in Kazakhstan began a year ago. At that time, Sayasat Nurbek noted that a "huge number" of foreigners were coming to Kazakhstan for reasons other than education.
According to the minister, the new rules should help curtail corruption schemes and prevent migrants from entering under the guise of students. He also noted that obtaining a student visa for European countries or the US is more difficult, and Kazakhstan plans to implement a similar approach.