Oralmans and immigration in Kazakhstan after the independence

The Kazakhs, who migrated from their own lands because of the repressive policies of the Soviet administration, started to return to their homeland after the declaration of Kazakhstan's independence in 1991. This migration has continued until now with the state support. The basic hypothesis of this study, which examined the state supported immigration policy applaid to Oralmans and their return to the country with "Nurlu Göç" program (2 December 2008) in accordance with this policy, is to show that the mentioned program was not made for the primary purposes. In order to verify the hypothesis of the study, answers will be sought for the questions of what kind of policies the government has implemented for returnee's adaptation to society and whether the implemented policies have yielded results or not. The study consists of four chapters. In the first part, a practical link will be established between the Oralman identity and the constructionist international relations theory that emphasizes identity the most. In the second part, the date and processes of the Oralmans come back to their homeland will be explained by considering the periods of the Soviet Union and the Independent Republic of Kazakhstan. In the third part of the study, the migration policy of Kazakhstan and the Nurlu Migration program will be discussed in detail. In the fourth and last part of the study, the general conditions of the Oralman in Kazakhstan, their housing and employment conditions, where they live, education opportunities and socio-economic conditions will be examined in detail. In order to collect first-hand information for the study, a field research was conducted in Kazakhstan and interviews were made with Oralman in various regions of the country. Keyword: Kazakhstan, Migration Policy, "Nurlu Göç" Program, Identity, Oralman.