Czech language exam for permanent residence to become more difficult
Currently, to obtain permanent resident status, foreigners must, among other things, demonstrate proficiency in Czech at the beginner level A1. The Ministry of the Interior, together with the Ministry of Education, plans to raise the difficulty of the test by one level – to level A2.
At the same time, the structure of the exam itself will not change. It will still consist of a written part (reading comprehension, listening comprehension, writing) and an oral part (speaking skills). The first attempt will remain free. Each retake will cost 1,500 crowns. Foreigners will also retain the opportunity to study the language for free in integration courses at specialized organizations.
Since the introduction of the mandatory language exam in January 2009, the pass rate has dropped from 80% to 61%. The test poses the greatest difficulties for citizens from non-Slavic countries, particularly the Vietnamese. Specialists at integration centers fear that making the exam more difficult could seriously worsen the situation.
Recall that several years ago, Masaryk University in Brno (Masarykova univerzita) launched an educational website for foreigners aimed at helping them learn Czech. The project Mluvte česky! is a free online self-study guide with detailed grammar, text, and audiovisual exercises.