Kazakh Americans are

Americans Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...

of full or partial Kazakh ancestry. Although in the 1960s the population of Kazakh origin in United States was estimated in 3,000 people, the Census 2000 puts the population size in less of 300 people. According to the

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

in 2010-2012 there were more than 23,000 people born in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

, but not all of them are of Kazakh ethnicity.

History

Kazakhs began to emigrate to the United States after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Shortly after of the war, some Kazakh Soviet citizens, who were captured during World War II, after their liberation by Allied troops migrated to the United States. Attention of Kazakh immigrants to the United States re-newed somewhere in the mid 1960s after the liberalization of immigration laws. In those years there were about 20 families of Kazakhs in United States. Kazakh diaspora in the United States adds to its ranks through inter-ethnic marriages, and since the breakup of Soviet Union in 1991, has increased due to

Diversity Immigrant Visa The Diversity Immigrant Visa program, also known as the green card lottery, is a United States government lottery program for receiving a United States Permanent Resident Card. The Immigration Act of 1990 established the current and permanent D ...

program, employment-based immigration channels for scientists and engineers, such as

H-1B visa The H-1B is a visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H) that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. A specialty occupation requires the application of ...

and EBGC, and international child adoption.

Demography

The Kazakhs form communities in places as

Reston, Virginia Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia and a principal city of the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Reston was influenced by the Garden City move ...

. The Kazakh Americans are observed as mono-ethnic and inter-ethnic marriages. The latter is characterized more for the older generation. Young people trying to find his life partner of the Kazakh media, thus preserving, their ethnic identity.

Organizations

Like many immigrant groups in the United States, the Kazakhs have their own associations. This section lists these organizations, which are known to be active. * The Kazakh American Association, a non-profit organization established in Reston, Virginia and founded to respond to the social, cultural, educational and recreational needs of Kazakh people visiting the United States and to preserve and strengthen the heritage and culture of Kazakhs people in USA. * The Kazakh Aul of the United States, a nonprofit organization that has members in the entire country and is dedicated to Kazakh cultural education and support of the Kazakh population in U.S. The aul runs a summer camp called Zhaliau Heritage Camp focused on bringing Kazakh culture into the lives of Kazakh adoptees in the U.S.. There they can make friends with other adoptees and meet Kazakh adults who serve as role models. The association is founded by Kazakhs and Americans. Kazakh Aul has been organizing annual summer camps for past several years. * Kazakh Student Association at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

, established in 1996.

Notable people

Ken Alibek Kanatzhan "Kanat" Alibekov ( kk, Қанатжан Байзақұлы Әлібеков, Qanatjan Baizaqūly Älıbekov; russian: Канатжан Алибеков, Kanatzhan Alibekov; born 1950), known as Kenneth "Ken" Alibek since 1992, is a Kazak ...

– former Soviet physician, microbiologist and biological warfare expert * Sanzhar Sultanov – Kazakh-born film director, producer and screenwriter *

Saule Omarova Saule Tarikhovna Omarova (russian: Сауле Тариховна Омарова, Säule Tarihqyzy Omarova, Kazakh Cyrillic: Сәуле Тарихқызы Омарова; born November 2, 1966) is a Kazakh-American attorney, academic, and public ...

– Kazakh-born attorney and nominee to serve as

Comptroller of the Currency The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is an independent bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury that was established by the National Currency Act of 1863 and serves to charter, regulate, and supervise all nationa ...

References

External links