Many asylum seekers use Czechia as a transit corridor to Western Europe
However, as Radio Prague notes, the Czech Ministry of the Interior rejects a simplified interpretation that the country's laws are too strict for asylum seekers. Simply put, foreigners from potentially less dangerous regions – such as Ukraine and Cuba – come to Czechia.
"Asylum seekers choose Czechia for a number of reasons. One of them is the low language barrier, which is why citizens of Ukraine and other former Soviet republics often apply to us. Family ties also play a big role. If someone from an asylum seeker's circle already lives in our country, they usually try to come here," says Hana Frankova from the Organization for Aid to Refugees, explaining the motivation of people who have decided to leave their home country forever.
"The reasons why they seek asylum are also very diverse – often it is a dangerous situation at home. Asylum seekers also claim persecution due to their political beliefs, religion, or sexual orientation."
According to data published by Eurostat, in Switzerland 90 percent of applicants receive refugee status, in Belgium 51 percent, and in France 28 percent. In Czechia, the asylum procedure ends successfully in only 11 percent of cases. What causes this?
The Czech Migration Service deals with atypical asylum seekers. "Judging by the 'nationality' column, asylum seekers in the Czech Republic differ significantly from applicants in other EU states. In 2018, 580,000 people sought asylum in EU countries, most often from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, who according to international parameters indeed belong to the group of persons at greatest risk. As for the Czech Republic, representatives of these three states accounted for only 7.5 percent of those who filed asylum applications in Czechia.
The majority of applicants for international protection in our country are Ukrainians (25%), followed by citizens of Cuba, Georgia, and Armenia," said Interior Ministry spokesman Ondřej Kratoška in an interview with Czech Radio, also reminding that many asylum seekers enter Czechia legally and stay in the country for quite a long time before filing an application, in some cases this can last for years.
Thus, they are only trying to legalize their status in Czechia after their visa expires or when it turns out they are in the country without proper grounds.
The Interior Ministry spokesman cites another important fact: "Despite the fact that many applicants file for international protection in the Czech Republic, they are actually heading to Western European countries. Last year, citizens of Cuba and Armenia did this, turning to Czech authorities in the transit zone of an international airport to gain free access to EU countries."