As Radio Prague reminds, the project called 'Special Approach to Highly Qualified Employees from Ukraine' was approved by the Czech government on November 9, 2015. Its goal is to simplify the document processing procedure when considering and approving visa applications for people of a number of specialties with higher education who are invited to work in the Czech Republic.
As is known, currently it is practically impossible to apply for a visa in Ukraine through the Visapoint system and wait for the application to be approved. The project 'Special Approach to Highly Qualified Employees from Ukraine' helps to avoid bureaucratic red tape. Thus, the consular department contacts the potential employee directly and agrees on an arbitrary date for submitting the application.
The deputy director of the Department of European and International Law of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, David Miller, tells how the project works in practice: 'This project is intended primarily for Czech companies that want to hire Ukrainian specialists. A Czech company must register for the project with a specific employee. Only companies or other entities can register, not the employees themselves. This means that when a company decides to apply for participation in the project, it must already have selected a specific person.'
'We, as a ministry, do not interfere in the process of finding employees in Ukraine. Companies have their own methods for this, various opportunities – agencies, intermediaries. An employee can also be found based on existing experience or expert contacts, since we are talking about highly qualified people. Once a company finds such a specialist and agrees on hiring, it can apply for participation in the project, and if its application is approved, the relevant consular office will contact the potential candidate.'
For an employer to participate in the project, the law must be observed, according to which a vacant position for hiring a foreign employee can be considered one that has been on the labor exchange for 30 days and for which no citizen of the Czech Republic has been hired.
A natural question may arise: why was the project created specifically for Ukrainian citizens, since in other countries, such as Russia, Belarus, or even India, there are many highly qualified technical specialists who could take advantage of the opportunity to work in the Czech Republic? As David Miller reported, in the case of Ukraine, it is a country where there are a number of problems with registration through the Visapoint system. At the same time, the fact that potential workers do not have to register to submit applications through Visapoint does not change the other requirements they must meet to obtain a work permit in the Czech Republic.
David Miller also spoke about which professions can participate in the project: 'This project is designed for highly qualified specialists, not only in technical fields. It is necessary that the high qualification of the applicant be confirmed. It is also necessary to confirm that in this particular company he will work in a position that corresponds to his high qualification. Doctors, for example, can also participate in the project. However, first and foremost, specialists in technical fields, for which there is an acute shortage in the Czech Republic, register for the project.'
The project started at the end of 2015. What are its results to date? Which specialties have already been included in the project? 'Of course, we keep records of employers and employees participating in the project,' says David Miller. 'As for representatives of technical professions, these are IT engineers, software engineers, designers, system analysts, specialists in various technological fields, and doctors. As for the language barrier, companies must always weigh in advance whether this will be a limitation in performing the work. They must foresee in advance what language communication will be conducted in – English or some other. I assume that in the case of workers from Ukraine, an advantage is also the fact that they can master Czech faster,' continues David Miller.
Notably, the project has no age restrictions. Czech firms are looking for specialists, first and foremost, with knowledge and experience, possessing some know-how, professional and, in fact, higher qualifications.
Also important is the fact that the project 'Special Approach to Highly Qualified Employees from Ukraine' is intended exclusively for the employees themselves, but not for their families. As David Miller reported, if a specific employee has been selected, there are a number of mechanisms by which his family can later join him. When obtaining a work permit, the specialist must also realize that while in the Czech Republic, his rights are no different from those of other foreigners. 'Regarding the residence permit, that is, the work or so-called "blue" card, a person must understand that in addition to this, he is not granted any special rights. He must behave exactly as if he came to the Czech Republic in a completely standard way. The benefit only lies in how he gets an appointment at the consulate.'
According to David Miller, the project has not yet gained momentum because one of the conditions for participation does not suit all Czech employers. "This condition is the calculation of a certain salary that matches the specialist's qualifications. This salary is calculated on the assumption that we are talking about a truly highly qualified employee. Thus, the employer undertakes to pay the employee, for at least one year with a standard working day, a salary of one and a half times the average annual salary, which currently amounts to 38.5 thousand crowns per month (1,425 euros) before taxes."
So far, 24 Czech companies and 42 employees are participating in the project. Czech firms have demand mainly for technical specialties. According to the Foreign Ministry, 15 applications for work permits from university graduates have been approved so far. However, as time goes on, there is growing demand for employees with medium and low qualifications.
According to a study by the Economic Chamber, the Czech Republic lacks 25,000 to 30,000 technical specialists. However, the joint project of the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Interior Ministry, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs aims to employ only 5,000 people.