Anyone who has ever had to move to another country knows that this is not an easy matter. And the main difficulty lies not in preparing for the move or even in the move itself. People face the main difficulties when they are already in a foreign country. Unfamiliar legislation, a different culture, a foreign language – these are just a few of the things that at first baffle and complicate life.
Many of those who moved to the Czech Republic for permanent residence themselves blazed trails, made mistakes, turned back, tried different ways. There are also those who used the services of commercial firms providing a wide range of services to foreigners – from filing visa documents to filling out applications to various authorities.
And then, at some point, people with considerable experience in this field gathered, who decided to share their information completely free of charge, and thus make life easier and save nerves for those just starting their life in the Czech Republic.
“Our organization is quite new, it opened in 2014,” says intercultural worker of the association Marina Poimanova. “It was founded by intercultural workers who were interested in providing services in this field. Currently, the association is implementing two projects within which we provide intercultural work services. These projects are supported by grants for non-governmental organizations from the Ministry of the Interior and the Prague City Hall. Within our projects, we help foreigners, accompany them to public organizations, provide interpreting services, help fill out forms and talk about what life is like in the Czech Republic and what you need to know to avoid getting into a difficult situation.”
According to the Czech Statistical Office, between 2005 and 2015, 540 thousand migrants moved to the Czech Republic. The most significant influx of foreigners into the country was during the period of the Czech Republic's accession to the European Union and during the years of economic growth. The culmination of the migration wave was 2007.
According to Radio Prague, the main group of migrants are Ukrainians and Slovaks. From 2005 to 2015, 149 thousand Ukrainians and 78 thousand citizens of Slovakia moved to the Czech Republic, as well as 47 thousand Vietnamese and 44 thousand Russians. In the same period, 206 thousand people left the Czech Republic, half of whom were also Ukrainians and Slovaks.