COUNTRY FACTSHEET: CZECH REPUBLIC 2014 EUROPEAN MIGRATION NETWORK 1. Introduction This EMN Country Factsheet provides a factual overview of the main policy developments in migration and international protection in Czech Republic during 2014, including latest statistics. 2. Common European Asylum System In 2014 the Czech Republic transposed some of the instruments of the new Common European Asylum System, such as the Asylum Procedures Directive (2013/32/EU) and the Receptions Directive (2013/33/EU). The Member State also introduced some amendments to the Asylum Act, following the ECHR judgment Buishvili 1. The law now provides that once the court rules that an administrative decision on detention of an asylum seeker is unlawful, the asylum applicant must be released from detention without any delay. In a view of increasing the effectiveness of its national asylum system, the Czech Republic managed to reduce the average length of administrative proceedings of international protection applications (e.g. from 110 days in 2013 to 79 days in 2014). Also, in order to increase the quality of the asylum proceedings, training were provided in cooperation with EASO and the UNHCR. The Czech Republic also took part in EASO activities during 2014, in particular by providing trainers and experts for training sessions, joint pilot projects and other EASO activities. In 2014 the emergency resettlement of 14 refugees from Syria, Somalia, Sri Lanka, China and Myanmar was organised by the Member State. Furthermore, within the framework of the MEDEVAC programme, medical treatment was provided to 36 Syrian and Jordanian vulnerable persons (in Jordan) and to 39 Ukrainian citizens. 1 Case of Buishvili v. the Czech Republic of 25 October 2012, Application no. 30241/11. 3. Unaccompanied Minors and other Vulnerable Groups No further developments were reported under this area in 2014. 4. European Policy on Legal migration and Integration 4.1 PROMOTING LEGAL MIGRATION CHANNELS Several initiatives took place aiming at improving the provision of information on the routes to legal migration. For example, in September 2014 a new Immigration Portal was created to provide access to various sources of information for third-country nationals, as well as for experts in the field of migration. Also, in June 2014, an information campaign was launched in connection with a new type of long-term residence permit, the so-called "employment card" (see section 4.2). Finally, information material (e.g. leaflets, brochures, DVDs or checklists) presenting the outcomes of three information projects for migrants implemented in 2013, was distributed. 4.2 ECONOMIC MIGRATION The Czech Republic adopted measures to ease the admission of qualified migrants and businessmen. Also as a result of the transposition of the Single Permit Directive (2011/98/EU), in June 2014 a new type of long-term residence permit for working purpose named "Employment Card", was introduced. The new permit allows TCNs to stay and work on a long-term basis and replaces an old long term visa and long-term residence permit for the purpose of employment and the Green Card which will not be issued anymore. Moreover, a new business immigration project Facilitation of Entry and Stay of Economically Important Partners was launched in September. Entrepreneurs who participate in the project are mainly representatives of foreign investors and foreign partners of Czech companies. As part of the project, participants will be able to promptly obtain short-term Migration & Home Affairs
or long-term visas by taking advantage of a fast-track procedure. 4.3 FAMILY REUNIFICATION No further developments were reported under this area in 2014. 4.4 INTEGRATION The first Concept of the City of Prague for the Integration of Foreigners, defining the main integration policy goals of Prague, was approved by the municipality in June 2014. Its aim is to inform migrants and to also encourage them to suggest further inputs and ideas, involve migrants in integration and decision-making and promote their active participation in public life. The material is based on the inputs of the Migrant forum, an institution made of representatives of migrant communities. Several projects were subsidized by the state and EU funds during 2014 aimed at the integration of specific groups. E.g. A project entitled Education for Successful Integration II, targeted UAMs staying at institutional school establishments and consisted on: long-term support for integration in Czech society, main educational stream and employability in the labour market. Also, the State Integration Programme focusing on providing assistance (housing, language training and support to access the labour market) to TCNs granted international protection continued during the year 2014 and was unified for both categories of IP beneficiaries. Integration centres and non-governmental organisations continued to be very important partners of the Ministry of the Interior in 2014. During the year, several meetings between employees of the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy and NGO representatives and Regional Integration Support Centres, which are available in 13 regions of the Czech Republic, took place. 4.5 MANAGING MIGRATION AND MOBILITY 2 The Czech government has taken some measures in preparation to the possible Schengen evaluation (as foreseen by regulation No. 1053/2013). The first measure is a National Schengen Plan 2014 covering the period of 2014-2020 which is currently being implemented. The plan aims to achieve expected standards for the implementation of the Schengen acquis and to properly apply the recommendations stemming from the Schengen evaluation. The second measure is the design of a National Methodology for the Internal Borders which takes into account relevant rulings of the EU Court of Justice as well as practical experience with the implementation of the Schengen acquis. In the context of the Czech Republic s membership in Schengen cooperation, a new Act on Protection of the State Borders was under legislative procedure. The Act intends to make the legal framework more intelligible, i.e. to remove some duplicate and nonapplicable provisions and to specify obligations for carriers and airports operators. Tools and practices related to the issuance of Visas have evolved during 2014. In particular, measures were taken to reduce waiting times for investors, businessmen, key partners, frequent travellers; also, the cooperation with commercial intermediaries and external service providers was extended to further regions. Due to the roll-out of Visa Information System (VIS), consulates were under reconstruction to allow biometrics Visas and personal presence of applicants who submitted their application via accredited travel agencies. Concerning border controls, two developments occurred in 2014. A pilot project for the implementation of the Registered Traveller Programme and Entry Exit System was prepared and would be implemented during 2015, while in June the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) was implemented to function within the national Police. Following the Ukrainian conflict, a special national crisis management strategy has been elaborated for the case of increased migration flow from Ukraine. The Czech Republic reported that due to the conflict, the Member State is the potential destination of more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. 4.6 EXTERNAL DIMENSION OF EU MIGRATION POLICY With regard to migrants remittances, the Czech Republic is preparing a transposition of the EU directive on payment accounts (PAD) (2014/92/EU). A "Handbook on Labour and Circular Migration was published, in cooperation with Hungary, as an output of a project implemented under the Prague Process framework. The handbook includes developments on remittances, brain-drain, brainwaste, diasporas, as well as policies and recommendations on circular migration schemes for policy-makers in the EU and other partner states of the Prague Process. Finally, a new project on student mobility has been implemented since November 2014 within the Prague Process framework, the project also explores the development impact of mobility from/to countries of origin. 2 Managing migration and mobility refers to the following themes: visa policy, Schengen governance and border monitoring. 2
5. Irregular Migration and Return 5.1 THE FIGHT AGAINST FACILITATION OF IRREGULAR MIGRATION A 2014 evaluative study of the Ministry of Interior on the effectiveness of student migration highlighted the positive impact of a selective study programme introduced for TCN university students called Accelerated Residence Permits Issuance Procedure for Foreigners Foreign Students from Third Countries. The programme is run with governmental guarantees of sending countries and based on memorandum of understanding for specific groups of students. The main aim of the project is to facilitate the entry procedures for students who were accepted to study in the Member State and was effective in preventing the misuse of student status. STATISTICAL ANNEX The Statistical Annex provides an overview of the latest available statistics for the Czech Republic on aspects of migration and asylum (2011-2014), including residence, asylum, unaccompanied minors, irregular migration, return and visas. Where statistics are not yet available, this is indicated in the Annex as N/I and when statistics are not applicable, this is indicated as N/A. In order to prevent and fight the fraudulent acquisition and use of false travel documents, specific training on irregular migration at the borders was provided to Police. Also, the security of the biometric residence permit ( epkp ) has been enhanced with an additional security item, called "relief structure. The latter will be located on both sides of all documents issued as of April 23, 2014. 5.2 RETURN Concerning return, a new project funded by the Czech Government and the European Return Fund was launched at the end of 2014. The project will offer Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) assistance not only to those who already have an irregular status, but also to those who have been issued a departure order after refusal of any type of residence permit application (including extension of existing visa/permit) and/or to those whose residence permit or visa was terminated based on an initiative of relevant authorities. 6. Actions against Trafficking in Human Beings In September 2014, a pilot training for border guards has been organised on the FRONTEX manual aiming to: Increase awareness of police officers about trafficking on human beings; Introduce indicators for detecting potential victims; Ensure that the police officers are familiar with the National Referral Mechanism ; Increase the ability of the police to interrogate the victims. The course was attended by border guard police working at international airports and at Refugee Facilities. 3
Statistical Annex: Immigration and Asylum in Czech Republic (2011-2014) 1. COMMON EUROPEAN ASYLUM SYSTEM Figure 1: Asylum applications as a share of the total population in Czech Republic, EU average and EU high and low (2011-2014) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asyappctza), data extracted 20/07/2015 Figure 2: Number of asylum applications and as a share of the total number of applications in the EU (2011-2014) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asyappctza), data extracted 21/07/2015 Table 1: Asylum applications: Top five third-country nationalities (2011 2014) Nationality Nr % of total Nationality Nr % of total Nationality Nr % of total Nationality Nr Ukraine 150 20% Ukraine 175 23% Ukraine 145 20% Ukraine 515 45% Belarus 70 9% Syria 70 9% Syria 70 10% Syria 110 10% Russia 45 6% Belarus 55 7% Russia 50 7% Vietnam 65 6% Vietnam 45 6% Vietnam 55 7% Vietnam 50 7% Cuba 40 3% Armenia 40 6% Mongolia 40 5% Russia 40 5% Russia 40 3% Cuba 40 6% Stateless 40 3% Kyrgyzstan 30 4% Burma 30 4% Armenia 30 3% Stateless 30 4% Turkey 30 4% Myanmar 30 4% Belarus 30 3% Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asyappctza), data extracted 21/07/2015 Figure 3: Asylum applications: Top five third-country nationalities as a share of EU total per given nationality (2014) % of total Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asyappctza), data extracted 21/07/2015 4
Table 2: Asylum applications - First instance decisions by outcome (2011-2014) Total decisions Positive decisions Refugee status Of which: Subsidiary protection Humanitarian reasons Negative decisions 2011 685 320 105 200 10 365 2012 735 175 50 125 5 560 2013 920 345 90 240 15 570 2014 1,005 375 75 285 15 630 Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asydcfsta), data extracted 22/07/2015. Figures 4-7: Asylum applications - First instance decisions by outcome (2011-2014) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asydcfsta), data extracted 22/07/2015 Figure 8: Negative decision rate for the top five nationalities of applicants at the first instance in comparison with EU for the same given nationality (2014) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asydcfsta), data extracted 23/07/2015 Figure 9: Third-country nationals resettled Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asyresa), data extracted 23/07/2015 2. UNACCOMPANIED MINORS Figure 10: Unaccompanied minors applying for asylum (2011-2014) Table 3: Unaccompanied minors (2011-2014) 15 10 5 0 10 5 5 0 Unaccompanied minors (total) Unaccompanied minor asylum applicants N/A N/A N/A N/A 10 5 0 5 Source: Eurostat Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors by citizenship, age and sex Annual data (rounded) [migr_asyunaa], data extracted 23/07/2015 5
3. EUROPEAN POLICY ON LEGAL MIGRATION AND INTEGRATION Figure 11: First residence permits, by reason (2011-2014) Source: Eurostat (migr_resfirst), data extracted 24/08/2015 Table 4: First residence permits: Top five third-country nationalities (2011 2014) 1. Ukraine 5,521 1. Ukraine 18,152 1. Ukraine 18,622 1. Ukraine 12,867 2. Russia 3,327 2. Russia 5,211 2. Russia 7,146 2. Russia 6,040 3. United States 2,679 3. Vietnam 3,698 3. Vietnam 4,915 3. Vietnam 3,995 4. Vietnam 2,180 4. United States 3,052 4. United States 2,359 4. United states 1,780 5. Kazakhstan 865 5. Kazakhstan 1,162 5. Kazakhstan 1,137 5. Kazakhstan 1,051 Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_resfirst), data extracted 24/08/2015 Figure 12: Resident population of third-country nationals as a share of total population in Czech Republic, EU average, EU high and low (2011-2014) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_pop1ctz), data extracted 23/07/2015 4. IRREGULAR MIGRATION AND RETURN Table 5: Number of third-country nationals refused entry at external borders (2011 2014) Third country nationals: Refused entry at external borders 360 190 310 330 Found to be illegally present 3,085 3,315 3,695 4,430 Ordered to leave 2,520 2,375 2,405 2,460 Returned following an order to leave 530 430 330 320 Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_eirfs)(migr_eipre)(migr_eiord)(migr_eirtn) data extracted 24/07/2015 6
Table 6: Third-country nationals returned (2011-2014) Returned as part of forced return measures Returned voluntarily Returned through an Assisted Voluntary Return Programme 2011 144 258 249 2012 465 209 254 2013 195 109 174 2014 187 144 170 Source: EMN Country Factsheet 2013 and *EMN Annual Policy Report on Immigration and Asylum 2014, Statistic Annex 5. SECURING EUROPE S EXTERNAL BORDERS Table 7: Number of Schengen visas applications (2011 2014) Uniform visas (short-stay visas) 581,931 603,484 646,719 519,819 Source: DG Migration and Home Complete statistics on short-stay visas issued by the Schengen States Figure 13: Uniform visa applications received in the Czech Republic as a share of the total number of uniform visa applications in all Schengen states consulates (2011-2014) Source: DG Migration and Home affairs Complete statistics on short-stay visas issued by the Schengen States Table 8: Top five countries in which the highest number of visa applications for the Czech Republic was lodged Country Number Country Number Country Number Country Number Russia 343,719 Russia 387,141 Russia 426,065 Russia 325,621 Ukraine 108,508 Ukraine 77,074 Ukraine 79,343 Ukraine 59,607 Turkey 18,027 Turkey 21,689 Turkey 20,498 China 18,158 Belarus 14,849 Belarus 15,960 Belarus 16,557 Belarus 18,045 China 11,898 China 13,255 China 14,681 Turkey 15,849 Source: DG Migration and Home affairs 6. ACTIONS AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS Table 9: Number of traffickers arrested as suspects and traffickers convicted * Convictions N/I N/I 20 6 Arrested / otherwise involved in a N/I N/I 25 16 criminal proceeding Source: *EMN Annual Policy Report on Immigration and Asylum 2014, Statistic Annex, 2013 data provided by EMN NCP 7
7. ASYLUM AND MIGRATION EU FUNDING SOURCES (2007-2013 AND 2014-2020) Table 10: Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) allocation to the Czech Republic in euro per area Areas AMIF 2014-2020 Asylum 5,237,036 Legal Migration and Integration 12,045,181 Return 6,462,775 Technical Assistance 2,440,185 Special cases (resettlement/transfer) 1,500,000 TOTAL 27,685,177 Source: DG Migration and Home affairs Table 11: Internal Security Fund (ISF) allocation to the Czech Republic in euro per area Areas ISF 2014-2020 ISF Borders 14,381,484 ISF SA Frontex - ISF SA Consular cooperation 774,000 ISF Borders Emergency Assistance - ISF Police 17,029,012 TOTAL 32,184,496 Source: DG Migration and Home affairs Table 12: SOLID funds allocation in euro and share of total funds allocated to the Czech Republic (2007-2013) SOLID FUNDS 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 TOTAL European Refugee Fund (ERF) N/A 1,131,906 (1.5%) 1,126,603 (1.1%) 1,110,087 (1.2%) 865,826 762,733 (0.7%) 885,407 (0.8%) 5,882,564 (1%) European Return Fund (RF) N/A 1,162,395 (2.1%) 1,018,044 (1.7%) 956,447 (1.2%) 1,002,330 1,189,726 (0.8%) 1,290,973 (0.7%) 6,619,915 (1%) European Fund for the Integration of TCN (EIF) 1,323,426 (2%) 1,793,443 (2.3%) 2,272,761 (2.3%) 2,643,736 (2.4%) 2,780,278 (2.1%) 3,116,062 (1.9%) 2,677,925 (1.5%) 16,607,631 (2%) External Borders Fund (EBF) 1,973,113 (1.4%) 1,813,239 (1.4%) 1,844,892 (1.2%) 1,804,591 2,012,084 2,741,306 3,664,316 15,853,542 (1%) Source: DG Migration and Home affairs 8