Minister of the Interior of the Czech Republic Milan Chovanec
In order for a foreigner to come to the Czech Republic, when applying for a visa, they will have to provide a certificate stating that they do not have infectious diseases. According to the Czech Interior Ministry, this will stop the spread of diseases that people «bring with themselves» from their homeland.
What exactly one cannot be ill with is not specified in the amendments to the law. According to «Radio Prague», the list of infectious diseases is still being compiled. Whether it will include HIV, tuberculosis, or, say, the common flu is not yet known.
New rules for granting asylum in the country will also come into effect. «The changes concern, for example, the following point. People repeatedly applied for asylum. Thus, they remained on the territory of the Czech Republic, artificially extending this period. That will no longer be the case,» said Interior Minister Milan Chovanec. Also, the Czech authorities will be able to refuse to accept an application from someone who has committed «a particularly serious crime, even if it was motivated by political reasons.»
Everyone who wishes to obtain asylum will be required to undergo a medical examination. It will also become more difficult for those who used the current law and, in case of refusal of asylum, asked the authorities to reconsider the decision. «Previously, there was the possibility to file an appeal, and in this way again «shift» the deadlines for resolving their case. And the entire migration procedure became endless,» the minister explained.
However, there will also be a relaxation in the law. Currently, a person who has applied for asylum and whose case is being considered cannot work in the Czech Republic for one year. That is, if people have no means of subsistence, they wait for a positive or negative response from the authorities, they cannot earn money legally. According to the ministry's proposal, the period during which they cannot work will be reduced from 12 to 9 months.
It is proposed to change the deadlines for filing an application for obtaining and extending a long-term residence permit in the Czech Republic. Currently, this must be done no earlier than 90 days and no later than 14 days before the expiration of the permit. According to the government's proposal, it will be 120 and 30 days, respectively.
At the meeting of the parliamentary committee, the situation with refugees arriving in large numbers in southern European countries was also discussed. The Czech Republic refuses mandatory European quotas «distributing» refugees across EU countries.