Migration Policy of the Czech Republic

Since the foundation of the sovereign Czech Republic, the situation in the field of migration has undergone substantial development. From a source country in early 1990s, through a period of a large inflow of applicants for international protection and transiting foreign nationals at the turn of the 20^th and 21^st centuries, the Czech Republic has become, in recent years, a country that is the destination country for foreign nationals migrating for work and business reasons, who want to settle here on a long-term basis or permanently. The comparison between the initial situation in 1993 when just below 80,000 foreign nationals were staying in the territory of the Czech Republic with various forms of residence statuses and the situation characterised by the most up-to-date data from the last quarter of 2008 indicating that nearly 425,000 foreign nationals now live in the Czech Republic with various types of residence permits shows that international migration is and must be one of the carefully addressed issues.
  
As early as in 2003, in the Resolution No. 55 of 13 January 2003, the Government of the Czech Republic approved a fundamental strategic material for migration, entitled the Czech Government’s Migration Policy Principles. In six fundamental points, this material defines the direction of the migration policy of the Czech Republic. The wording of the individual principles expresses the wish of the Czech Republic to address migration policy actively and responsibly, while respecting the obligations arising from international conventions, treaties and recommendations. The priority of national activities in migration is to formulate effective measures, which will support managed legal migration, while minimising illegal migration.
  
The activities supporting legal migration include, for example, the project entitled Selection of Qualified Foreign Workers, the introductory five-year phase of which was launched in July 2003, or the most recent Green Cards project, which will be launched in January 2009.
  
As concerns combating illegal migration, a number of smaller projects are being implemented; a significant segment with focus on prevention of illegal migration is contained particularly in the projects of Foreign Development Cooperation as well as in other projects financially supported by the state.
  
As a result of the accession to the European Union in May 2004, the national migration policy is addressed, to a considerable extent, in consensus with the partner countries and with the application of the instruments of European law.

Support of Legal Migration at the European Level

Accepting economic migrants is the basis of the policy of legal migration and it is essential to deal with this issue on European level, in order to achieve a significant development of the EU immigration policy. What concerns political priorities in the area of legal migration resulting from the Haague Programme of 2004, the Policy Plan on Legal Migration is the fundamental document. This Plan serves as a „road map“ for the period of 2006-2009. During this period, the European Commission in cooperation with Member States will undertake in a coordinated manner a set of requirements. The Commission proposes particular measures leading to a gradual harmonization of the area of economic migration.

Within the Council of the EU, the agenda of legal migration is discussed at the Migration – Admission Working Group, SCIFA and other traditional Council levels such as the COREPER or even the JHA Council itself. The document that the Czech Republic will be dealing with during its EU Presidency is the Proposal for a Council Directive on a single application procedure for a single permit for third-country nationals to reside and work in the territory of a Member State and on a common set of rights for third-country workers legally residing in a Member State. 
 

• More Detailed Information on Legal Migration in the European Union
   

Approach of the Czech Republic to Legal Migration

In a modern society, it is necessary to approach migration as one of the tools for economic development of the country. Within the Czech Government’s Migration Policy Principles (the Resolution of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 55 of 13 January 2003), the thesis was adopted that the national migration policy does not place obstacles to legal migration and supports immigration, which is beneficial for the state and the society in the long run (principle No. 4).

In accordance with this policy, a pilot project entitled Selection of Qualified Foreign Workers (hereinafter referred to as the “Project”) was prepared. This Project is implemented in accordance with the Governmental Resolution No. 975 of 26 September 2001, No. 720 of 10 July 2002, No. 340 of 14 April 2004, No. 394 of 6 April 2005. No. 1377 of 26 October 2005, No. 431 of 19 April 2006 and No. 538 of 23 May 2007. The planned five-year pilot stage of the Project was launched in July 2003. The guarantor of the implementation of the Project is the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic.
   
The goal of the Project is to bring qualified foreign workers to the Czech Republic, who are able to contribute to development of the economy, and to integrate into the Czech society permanently together with their families. The Project is supposed to test and optimise the tools for active migration management and to find bottlenecks in the legislation in labour migration, and the Project was one of the first steps on the way to formulating the future active migration policy in this field.
 
The current information on the project entitled Selection of Qualified Foreign Workers is published at www.imigracecz.org. More detailed information can also be found at www.praceprocizince.cz
 
The latest project of the Czech Republic designed to support legal migration is the Green Cards project that will be launched on 1 January 2009.

Green Cards

The Green Cards project is a project by the Czech Republic focussing on supporting legal migration.

The existing system of recruiting workers from abroad based on issuing work permits and residence visas for over 90 days for the purpose of work has its shortcomings, particularly as concerns the demands on time and administration of the stages preceding the workers entry into employment. For employers and for some categories of workers, it is not flexible enough to meet the immediate needs of employers in a legal manner.

With regard to the above-mentioned facts, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and other sectors, developed the project “Green Cards – Proposal for the Parametric Model for the Czech Republic”. The project was approved by the Resolution of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 1174 of 22 October 2007 on simplifying the conditions for employment of qualified foreign workers. This was subsequently legislatively amended by Act No. 382/2008 Coll., on Employment as amended, Act No. 326/1999 Coll., on the Residence of Aliens in the Territory of the Czech Republic and Amendments to Certain Acts, as amended by later regulations and other associated acts.

The model of Green Cards is based on the maximum possible openness towards foreign applicants for jobs, whilst maintaining elements of protection of security, public order and strict punishment of violations of current law and efforts to avoid or abuse set rules. This model should enable employers to quickly acquire labour from third countries.

Characteristics of the Green Cards Project

• The Green Cards Project is primarily aimed at highly qualified labourers – university or college graduates or persons with lower qualifications. Depending on the situation on the market it also enables the acquisition of unqualified workers, if they are needed, however, such workers may be granted a Green Card only for two years without any possibility to extend it.

• The Green Card is issued in types “A”, “B” and “C”, where card “A” is for qualified workers with university education and for key personnel, type “B” is for workers in jobs that require at least training and type “C” is for other workers.

• The aim is the flexible recruitment of professionals from abroad and a decrease in the administrative burden both for employers and foreign nationals.

• The project is primarily based on the needs of business undertakings; the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs will maintain central records (a register) of vacancies that could be held by Green Card holders. Records are kept on job vacancies, announced by employers, that the employment office has not been able to fill with a citizen of the Czech Republic or the European Union within 30 days of them being announced to the employment office and the employer has agreed to having a foreigner take the vacancy.A vacancy available to a Green Card holder is a vacancy marked by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in the register as a job suitable for key personnel. The database will be accessible on the websites of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and of some other ministries. Third-country nationals will apply for a Green Card at an embassy or a consulate of the Czech Republic abroad and will directly apply for vacancies marked in the register.

• The main tool of the project is the Green Card, which will be equivalent to a long-term residence permit and will have two functions: it will prove that its holder is authorised to work in the Czech Republic and that the holder is permitted to reside in the Czech Republic. 

• The project maintains elements for protecting security and public order.

• The Ministry of the Interior issues Green Cards in close cooperation (consultations) with other ministries. Green Cards are valid for a maximum of three years (for highly qualified staff) with an option of further extension. An exemption applies only to unqualified labourers, who receive the Green Card for two years only without any possibility to extend it. 

The amendment to the Act on Employment and the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals or some other related acts regulating conditions for issuing Green Cards and other related issues requiring new legal provisions came into effect on 1^st January 2009. 

Department of Asylum and Migration Policy, 9^th March, 2010

EU Blue Card

An EU Blue Card is a new residential status designed for a long-term stay involving performance of a highly skilled job (Section 42i of the Act No 326/1999 Coll. on the Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Territory of the Czech Republic and on changes to some Acts, as amended – hereinafter referred to as the “Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals”). An EU Blue Card entitles a foreign national to stay and perform a job, i.e. the foreign national does not need a separate work permit.

A foreign national is entitled to submit an application for issue of an EU Blue Card, if he/she intends to stay in the territory for a period longer than 3 months and if he/she is employed at a job position requiring a high level of skills, which, according to the Czech Employment Act, can be filled with a foreign national who is not a citizen of the European Union. 

Duly completed university education or higher vocational education, the duration of which was at least 3 years, is deemed to be a high level of skills. 

An application for an EU Blue Card is to be filed by a foreign national at an embassy as well as, in selected cases, at a MoI office in the territory of the Czech Republic. The Ministry of the Interior makes a decision on an application for an EU Blue Card within a period of 90 days. 

More information about an EU Blue Card see here.

Department of Asylum and Migration Policy, 24^th May 2011

Approach to Illegal Migration in the Czech Republic and the European Union

Not only unauthorised entry into the territory of a state or unauthorised departure from the territory of a state but also unauthorised stay in the territory or a stay in conflict with the purpose for which residence permit was issued needs to be regarded as illegal migration.
  
Illegal migration is a phenomenon that can fundamentally jeopardise the internal stability and security situation in the destination countries. For this reason, the measures concerning combat against illegal migration are one of the major issues addressed in the migration policy of the Czech Republic.
  
The basic document concerning the combat against illegal migration is the Action Plan of Combat against Illegal Migration (hereinafter referred to as the Action Plan), which was prepared in 2003 and was approved by the Resolution of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 108 of 4 February 2004. The action plan is based on the principle 3 of the Czech Government’s Migration Policy Principles, and is related to the tasks defined in the National Action Plan of Combat against Terrorism. The main goal of the Action Plan is to find and implement such solutions and measures that can minimise illegal migration and motivate foreign nationals to legally enter and stay in the territory of the Czech Republic.
  
The Action Plan of Combat against Illegal Migration is a strategic document a part of which is a time schedule for implementation of measures. This time schedule is updated every year. Measures defined for the combat against illegal migration in the Action Plan were originally divided into the following five basic areas: prevention, control and penalties, legislation, inter-ministerial cooperation and international cooperation. The measures proposed in legislation were implemented in 2005; as a result, they were not included in the updated time schedule. In addition to the Ministry of the Interior, also the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance also participate in the implementation of the measures defined in the updated time schedule of the Action Plan.
  
It follows from the above that international migration is not an issue that could be addressed within a single ministerial sector. The matters of foreign nationals concern all areas of everyday life and therefore this is a typical cross-sectoral issue, which needs to be addressed at an inter-sectoral level. Therefore at the stage of actual implementation or at least at the stage of preparation, the individual projects and programmes, created within the individual ministerial sectors, are always discussed with the central bodies responsible for the areas concerned.
   
In particular, the illegal international migration associated with illegal employment is a significant issue widely discussed throughout the society. The government of the Czech Republic has been addressing this issue on a long-term basis and as early as on 23 October 2003, in the Resolution No. 1044, it approved a Time Schedule of Measures following from the Updated Strategy of Combat against Organised Crime, which established the Inter-ministerial Body for Combat against Illegal Employment of Foreign Nationals in the Czech Republic(IBCIE). The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is the guarantor for the activities of this body, the mission of which is to ensure mutual exchange of information, to propose and ensure the use of coordinated procedures with the aim of improving the efficiency of the combat against illegal international migration. 
   
At the level of the European Union, the issues of illegal migration are addressed particularly in the Migration-Removal Working Group of the EU Council (the part concerning admission and expulsion) and, in some cases, even in the Border Working Group of the EU Council.
   
Within the Migration-Expulsion Working Group, the directive concerning the procedural rules for making a decision on the return of third country nationals and the related areas (for example, detention) and directive on penalising employers of third country nationals with illegal stay were discussed recently. The final version of the latter directive is now being discussed with the European Parliament and it can be one of the texts that will be discussed during the Czech presidency of the EU.

1. The Directive of the European Parliament and the Council on common standards and procedures in Member states for returning illegally staying third-country nationals, the purpose of which is to harmonise the practices of member states in the event of removal or a return, that is, to implement clear and transparent common rules for return, removal, application of means of coercion, temporary detention and prohibition on entry, while fully respecting the human rights of the persons concerned. The final text of this Directive has already been approved by the European Parliament and it should be published in the Official Journal very soon.
    
2. Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and the Council providing for sanctions against employers of illegally staying third country nationals, the purpose of which is the effort to suppress one of the “pull factors” of illegal migration, which is employment of third country nationals illegally staying in the country. The aim of the discussed Directive is to harmonise the common practices and measures against the employers of third country nationals staying illegally in the territories of member states (which means they do not meet the conditions for staying in the territory of the member state) at the Community level and to implement these measures effectively.

Programme for Support in Combating Illegal Migration

In accordance with the Czech Government’s Migration Policy Principles, laid down in Resolution of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 55 of 13 January 2003, the Ministry of the Interior created a Programme for Support in Combating Illegal Migration.
   
The said measure of a non-legislative nature with the focus on the field of combating illegal migration is based on the basic premise of Council Directive 2004/81/EC of 29 April 2004 on residence permits issued to third-country nationals who are victims of human trafficking or who have been the subject of an action to facilitate illegal immigration, who cooperate with the competent authorities and the related laws of the Czech Republic.^[1] Its basic goal is to ensure efficient cooperation among persons who were the subject of an action to facilitate illegal immigration, with the bodies responsible for criminal proceedings and other involved parties in detecting, exposing and preventing the criminal activities concerned, while simultaneously ensuring the necessary care of the persons concerned and possibly even for their family members currently staying in the territory of the Czech Republic, with a fundamental emphasis on their personal safety.
   
For this purpose, a system of cooperation among the individual parties involved was set up within the Programme. The first phase of this system is aimed at detecting possible witnesses, who are continually provided with comprehensive information on the Programme, legal consultancy and, as the case may be, the necessary social and psychological assistance in such a way so that they can make their decisions on cooperation with the bodies responsible for criminal proceedings or their decision to return voluntarily under the most objective conditions possible. The second phase is focused on the problem-free course of the criminal proceedings and on the support of witnesses, targeted on their possible social integration and their integration into a normal life.
    
The participants of the created system are as follows: the relevant bodies responsible for the criminal proceedings; non-profit, non-governmental organisations; the International Organisation for Migration; the Alien Police Service of the Czech Republic Police, the Refugee Facilities Administration of the Czech Republic Ministry of the Interior; and last but not least, the Asylum and Migration Policy Department of the Ministry of the Interior, which is also the main coordinator of the activities performed under the Programme. 

 1₎ Act No. 326/1999 Coll. on the Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Territory of the Czech Republic and on changes to certain Acts, as amended; the Criminal Code No. 140/1961 Coll., as amended; Legal Criminal Proceedings Act (Code of Criminal Procedure) No. 141/1961 Coll., as amended;

Visa Policy

Common visa policy forms one of the basic pillars of the border control system of EU/Schengen Member States and, at the same time, represents an instrument for migration management and a component of external relations policy. The aim of partly unified visa and consular practice is to enable the entry of third-country nationals who fulfil the conditions for entry and stay in the territory of the EU/Schengen area and to prevent the entry of those who could endanger security and public policy.

A number of EU rules applied by Member States and, since 1 May 2004, also by the Czech Republic, have been harmonized for the above-mentioned purpose. First of all, single list of countries that are subject to a visa requirement plus a list of countries for which this requirement is waived is laid down by the Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001, as amended, and its Annexes I and II (consolidated version – as of 19/12/2009). This Regulation is binding and applicable in all EU Member States except for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The EU has also commonly harmonised such things as the uniform format for visas and the way of affixing visa stickers to travel documents, agreed on standards for security features and biometrics in passports and travel documents, set up a system enabling sharing and exchanging information on genuine and false documents, etc.

Visa policy is further developed by the Schengen Member States and as such is subject to a number of common rules concerning in particular short-stay visas. The procedures and conditions for issuing visas for transit through or intended stays in the territory of the Schengen Member States not exceeding three months in any six-month period are regulated since 5 April 2010 by the Community Code on Visa (Regulation No 810/2009).

Nationals of third countries exempted from the visa requirement (Annex II of the Regulation 539/2001) are allowed to enter the territories of Schengen Member States and stay for tourist purpose for a period of time not exceeding three months during the six months following the date of first entry. Member State may decide whether to establish visa obligation for third-country nationals in cases when they carry out gainful activity on its territory. The Czech Republic, similarly to other Member States, requires in this regard short-term visas for the purpose of employment. Third-country nationals subject to visa obligation (Annex I of the Regulation 539/2001) require a visa to enter the Schengen area.

Stay on the territory of the Czech Republic/Schengen area exceeding three months requires long-stay national visa or residence permit, which are issued according to the Act on Stay of Aliens on the territory of the Czech Republic (No 326/1999 Coll., as amended). Schengen rules concerning long-term stays in principle harmonize only rules for movement within the Schengen territory, issuing arrangements and visa format (for latest development, see here).

Short-term visas

A uniform (so called Schengen) visa enables its holder to move freely in all Schengen Member States and is issued only once all the stipulated conditions have been met. Fulfilment of these conditions is thoroughly examined. The uniform visa stand for a visatype C, which allows its holder to stay in the Schengen territory for the period of time indicated on the visa, however for not more than three months during the half year following the date of first entry into the Schengen area. Type C visa may also be issued for the purpose of transit, whereas the length of the authorised stay shall correspond to the time necessary for the purpose of the transit (transit visa type B was cancelled by the Visa Code).

The requirement to hold airport transit visa (type A) when transiting through the international transit areas of airports situated on the territory of Schengen Member States is an exception to the general right to pass through the aforementioned international transit area without a visa. For security reasons, nationals of some third countries are required to hold such a visa. There is a common list of third countries concerned, which forms Annex IV of the Visa Code. Furthermore, every Member State has the right to set up its own national list of third countries whose nationals are required to be in possession of an airport transit visa when passing through the international transit area of airports situated on its territory – see the overview. In the Czech Republic, such a list, containing both national and common list, is laid down by Decree No. 446/2005 Coll., as amended.

Under certain conditions (Art. 25 of the Visa Code), a Schengen State may also exceptionally issue a visa with limited territorial validity, which enables its holder toenter into and stay only in the territory of one or more Schengen Member States but not the whole Schengen area.

Long-term stays (exceeding 90 days) – long-stay visas/residence permits

In principle, neither EU community regulations nor the regulations set forth in the Schengen acquis regulate conditions for stays of more than three months, which are exclusively within the national competence of the Member States. The Schengen acquis does however contain provisions concerning free movement and the right to a long-term stay on the territory of the Schengen area. According to these rules, it is possible to travel freely with a long-stay visa or a residence permit issued by a Schengen Member State – and a valid passport – for a period of up to three months during the six-month period even outside the territory of the Schengen State that issued the long-stay visa/residence permit.

Long-stay visa is issued as visa type D in a uniform format and according to conditions laid down by the EU Regulation No 265/2010. Visa Code cancelled previously issued type D+C visa. When issuing long-stay visas, Schengen Information System records are checked. Not all Member States issue long-stay visas and stays of more than three months are covered directly by a residence permit. The Czech Republic issues type D long-stay visas as well as residence permits.

One of the topics included within the external dimension of visa policy addresses various levels of the intensity of cooperation with individual third countries in relation to visas (usually within the framework of migration and mobility). This includes such things as agreements on facilitation of the issuance of visas (Visa Facilitation Agreements – see Handbook for the processing of visa applications and the modification of issued visas) or launching a visa dialogue with the perspective of establishing a visa free regime between the EU and the respective third country. The latter process concerns countries of the Western Balkan - as the established conditions have been met, it was decided that, starting on 19 December 2009, a visa-free regime is being implemented for nationals of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia if they are in possession of a biometric passport (see Regulation No 1244/2009).

The area of visa and consular matters is one that is dynamically developing and being further specified within the EU/Schengen area. The most significant lately adopted legislative instruments may be found on the pages of Ministry of Interior.

Department for Asylum and Migration Policy, 12 May 2010
 

Readmission Policy

Although the Czech Republic, just as the other European Community states, prefers voluntary return for all persons who are illegally present in its territory, it is necessary to ensure mechanisms making it possible to remove such a person from its territory in cases where the person refuses voluntary return. Readmission agreements are the mechanism for carrying out returns of persons who refuse to take advantage of the opportunity for a voluntary return.

The main purpose of these agreements is to facilitate and accelerate the readmission process as much as possible. Readmission is not only the act of handing over the person, it also involves a number of steps that must precede this act, ranging from identification of the identity and citizenship of the person concerned or proving the entry into the territory of one party to the agreement from the territory of the other party to the agreement and issuance of a travel document, up to the actual hand-over. The conditions, after the fulfilment of which the parties to the agreement are required to accept the persons concerned, are defined by the readmission agreements.

At present, the Czech Republic is a party to readmission agreements with a total of 14 countries worldwide. These countries include the neighbouring countries of Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia as well as Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Moldavia, Canada and Vietnam. The readmission agreement with France was signed but it has not yet become effective due to the non-existence of the implementing protocol. The readmission agreement with Switzerland was signed on 17 September 2009, (it will come into force after ratification on both sides; for the Czech Republic it means after hearing in the Parliament and subsequent signature by the President of the Czech Republic).

With some countries of origin, the Czech Republic is engaged in bilateral negotiations, with the texts of the agreements in different stages of execution. This specifically concerns readmission agreements with Armenia and Egypt. Currently activities to conclude the implementary protocol with France, or update to the agreement with France and adjustment to new conditions, were renewed.

Negotiations with other countries have taken place or are taking place at the level of the European Community. At present, readmission agreements with Albania, Hong Kong, Macao, Sri Lanka and Russia are in effect. On 1 January 2008, another 6 readmission agreements became effective; specifically the agreements with Ukraine, Moldavia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia are in effect. The agreement with Pakistan was signed. The readmission agreements with Turkey, Morocco, Algeria and China remain under negotiation. At the end of 2008 the Commission was granted mandate to negotiate the readmission agreement with Georgia. During 2009 the Commission was authorised to negotiate the readmission agreement with Cape Verde.

Last Updated: 8 October 2009

Programme for Voluntary Returns

The issue of assisted voluntary returns of foreign nationals has been addressed, on a long-term basis, by the Ministry of the Interior for failed applicants for international protection, for foreign nationals who have been issued with a decision on administrative expulsion and have been given a deadline for leaving the territory of the Czech Republic and for those foreign nationals who have been placed in detention centre in connection with an issued decision on administrative expulsion.
 
With effect as of 21 December 2007, foreign nationals who have been issued a decision on administrative expulsion, do not have any travel documents and are unable to cover the costs associated with leaving the territory of the Czech Republic from their own resources, have been given the opportunity to apply to the Ministry of the Interior for payment of the costs associated with their leaving the country. If the Ministry of the Interior complies with such a request and pays the costs associated with the return, the foreign national will become obliged to subsequently pay an amount equal to one half of such costs to the Ministry of the Interior. The foreign national will be on the list of personas non grata until the time when s/he pays this amount, however, for a maximum period of 6 years. This means that the foreign national cannot be permitted to enter the territory of the Czech Republic in this period.
   
Foreign nationals filing an application with the Ministry of the Interior for payment of the costs associated with their leaving the country must also meet the condition that they do not have any valid travel documents. If such a request is granted, the Ministry needs to ensure for the foreign national concerned the documents necessary for him/her to leave the country. Such a document is in particular a substitute travel document issued by the authorities of the foreign national’s country of origin. In order to ensure the necessary documents and other necessary pre-departure assistance for foreign nationals whose requests have been granted, the Ministry of the Interior created the Programme for Voluntary Returns. The assistance services provided under this programme are ensured by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The assistance provided by IOM is oriented particularly on obtaining the necessary travel document, communication with the embassies of the countries concerned and ensuring the financially most advantageous way for the foreign national to leave the Czech Republic. All the services, except for the transport costs, as mentioned above, rendered to foreign nationals under the Programme for Voluntary Returns are free of charge.

Analytical Centre for Protection of State Borders and Migration

The mission of the Analytical Centre for Protection of State Borders and Migration is to ensure close cooperation and improve the exchange of information among all the bodies involved in the protection of state borders and the management of international migration.

• it is a permanent analytical centre of an inter-ministerial nature; it started operation as at 1 September 2007
• it monitors the issues of state border protection and international migration from the points of view of all the ministerial sectors concerned;
• it contributes to improvement of the coordination of the inter-ministerial cooperation in this field;
• it was established by Resolution of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 933 of 22 August 2007

  
Activities carried out by the centre are divided in to four forums, distinguished by the topics they cover:

• Migration Forum monitors the situation pertaining to the residence of foreign nationals in the Czech Republic including the provision of recommendations and proposals to adopt measures in the area.
   
• Security and Operations Forum focuses on an operative evaluation of security risks relating to protection of the national border and illegal migration and formulates recommendations and proposals for measures to be adopted in this area.
   
• Strategy Forum concentrates on formulating comprehensive opinions concerning border protection and migration in the Czech Republic. The overall direction of the Analysis Centre is also being discussed within the Strategy Forum.
   
• Visas Forum monitors visa policy and practice by formulating recommendations and proposals for measures to be adopted in this field.

The Analysis Centre is coordinated by the Asylum and Migration Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior.
 

Reports

• Annual Report: International Protection in the Czech Republic in 2009
   
• Status report on migration 2008 (pdf, 1,75 MB)
  
  - Tables in Czech language (pdf, 1,2 MB)
   

• Status report on migration 2007 (pdf, 2 MB)