According to the initiators of the innovation, integration courses will help foreigners settle in the Czech Republic
"Taking into account the needs of the labor market and the Czech Republic, the government will be able to determine the total annual number of applications accepted by Czech institutions for the issuance of 'work cards', for example, in Ukraine. This number will be known to everyone, and Czech representations will be appropriately equipped to fulfill the stated plan," comments Czech Minister of the Interior and acting head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jan Hamáček.
As noted by Radio Prague, according to the discussed amendment, integration courses must be attended by absolutely all foreign citizens who have arrived in Czech territory for the purpose of employment or education. According to the initiators of the innovation, the integration course will help people settle in – familiarize themselves with rights and obligations, local customs, as well as the basic moral values and principles professed in the Czech Republic and the European Union.
The obligation to attend an integration course is criticized, for example, by Marek Benda, a representative of the parliamentary Civic Democratic Party. For people from countries with a similar cultural background, such as citizens of the USA or Canada, in his opinion, the mentioned courses would be pointless.
The quotas for issuing 'work cards' are explained by the limited capacity of Czech foreign representations to process them. The flow of corresponding applications received by Czech consulates has tripled over the past three years. In 2014, there were 3,000, and in the year before last, already more than 9,000. In the first three quarters of 2017, the Czech side had already accepted 13,500 applications for 'work cards'.
In addition to the mentioned regulations, the discussed amendment also shortens the terms and conditions for depriving foreigners of the right to reside in the Czech Republic. This would primarily concern those citizens who have been convicted three times in the Czech Republic for intentional criminal offenses. Currently, the procedure for deprivation of the right to residence takes about two years.