Work Permit and Residence (employer-sponsored)

Generally no. Citizens of the Eurasian Economic Union - Russia, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan - can usually work in Kazakhstan without a separate work permit, although you still need to register and sort out your residence properly. For most other nationalities the employer must obtain a work permit before you start. Because the rules turn on your nationality, confirm your exact position on the official egov.kz page.

Your employer does. In Kazakhstan the work permit is the employer's responsibility - they apply to hire a foreign worker, and you then take up the job and hold a residence permit to live there. You should still keep your own documents in order, but you are not the one filing the work-permit application.

Not on this route. The employer-sponsored work route depends on a Kazakhstani employer offering you a job and obtaining a work permit to hire you, and having no confirmed job offer (or no employer willing to obtain a work permit) is a common reason applications are refused. You would need a genuine, confirmed offer first, or a route that does not depend on a local employer. Confirm what applies on the official egov.kz page.

Yes, the employer-sponsored work and residence route can lead to settlement. You hold a temporary residence permit while employed and renew it alongside your work permit, but permanent residence remains a separate application with its own requirements. Treat it as a later step and confirm the criteria on the official egov.kz page.