The project is implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If a selected candidate remains in the project until the end, he or she can obtain a residence permit in the Czech Republic after 2.5 years (instead of 5 years under current legislation). There is another advantage: project participants receive a so-called "protection period" (30 days) to search for a new job in case they lost their previous job through no fault of their own.
Regarding the professions of project participants, it can be noted that the most common are technical specialties, IT specialists, and medical professionals. The list of professions exactly matches the areas where there is often a shortage of qualified Czech personnel. Countries participating in the project include Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Canada, Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine, and Montenegro. Also eligible are graduates (applies to citizens of all countries) of Czech higher education institutions who passed their final state exam in 1995 or later, or who completed secondary school in the Czech Republic in 2000 or later.
The first thirteen participants and their family members have already received residence permits in the Czech Republic in a short time based on their participation in the project. "They are from Bulgaria, and among them are a mechanical engineer, a design engineer, and a nurse. Project participants should know that the Czech Republic respects and values their decision to live and work in this country," says Zdena Caisová, project head at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic. "A residence permit means they obtain equal rights with Czech citizens, except for the right to vote and be elected, which facilitates easier integration into Czech society."
Information in all languages of the participating countries is available on the website www.imigracijacz.org. The updated job search website of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, www.praceprocizince.cz, also serves as an important source of information, where applicants can post their resumes and view advertisements from Czech companies offering jobs to foreign workers.
Candidates can submit applications for participation in the project only online by filling out a form on the website. Based on the completed form, a special computer program processes the results. If a candidate scores 25 points out of a possible 66, he or she will be selected for the project. The entire procedure takes a maximum of one month.
Legal employment in the Czech Republic is a prerequisite for participation in the project. "Of course, this means the candidate must obtain a work permit from the Czech labor office and a long-term work visa. At least secondary education is required. The number of points depends on education level, work experience, age, foreign language skills, previous experience in the Czech Republic, and marital status," explains Zdena Caisová. She also noted that the project is developing and new countries are being included year by year. Since 2004, it has been open to foreign specialists who are graduates of Czech universities, and a year later, to graduates of Czech schools.
Stories of Participants
The story of Anastasia Sokolova is remarkable. She is only 24 years old and was born in Kazakhstan. At 18, while a student, she applied for Russian citizenship, but last year she changed her mind and decided to live and work in the Czech Republic.
"My parents have been in the Czech Republic since 2000, so it was logical to join my family. For starters, I think I have a good specialty. I studied mathematics and computer science at Novosibirsk University, but I would like to continue my studies," says Anastasia.
The education she received in Russia was recognized by the Czech Technical University (CVUT) and she was awarded a master's degree. Anastasia continued her studies at the famous Charles University. She studied mathematics, English, and economics before starting work. "It helped me a lot that I stayed in the Czech Republic on a student visa. I cannot imagine how I could have resolved all the formalities during the validity of a tourist visa. It is impossible," she says.
The start of her professional career in information technology was quite ordinary. Anastasia says: "I went to a recruitment agency and explained what I can do. In total, I had four interviews, the last three at the company where I later started working. I do computer program testing. If I say IBM Mainframes, specialists will understand the specifics of the work I do," Anastasia recounts.
Anastasia joined the MLSA project in July this year, hoping to get a residence permit quickly. "This will promote professional growth and also allow me to take out a mortgage to buy my own housing. Right now it is not easy because I live with my parents and brother in a two-room apartment," explains Anastasia. At first, she lived in a student dormitory, then planned to rent an apartment, but her parents dissuaded her. Paying for two rented apartments is not advisable when you can live together for a while and save money to invest in buying your own home. The procedure ahead of Anastasia is not that complicated. "All you have to do is fill out the project participant questionnaires online. Each candidate receives a letter informing them whether they have become a project participant or not. If your application is considered suitable for the project, you must submit all required documents within two months," Nastya recounts.
Russian programmer Nikolai Sokolov (26) works in Brno, the second largest city after Prague. Some time ago he moved to the Czech Republic, where, he claims, he would like to stay forever. He applied for participation in the project in December 2005.
«At first the hardest thing for me was the Czech language. I didn't understand anything except a few words. It's not easy living alone in a foreign country. It took time to become independent. Now everything is fine,» says Nikolai.
He was born in Vladivostok, studied at the Faculty of Law and received a law degree. Then he continued his studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, but did not finish because he left for the Czech Republic. «But I want to finish my studies in this field here. In the Czech Republic I studied information systems in business and now I work as a programmer at the IBM branch in Brno. I came alone, my relatives stayed in Russia. The last time I visited them was two years ago.»
Why did you choose the Czech Republic? «It was a spontaneous decision,» explains Vladimir. «Actually, I was planning to go to the USA, but I couldn't get a visa. Then I found the Higher School of Entrepreneurship in Ostrava on the Internet. The tuition was not too high, and the languages of our countries are similar. The most convincing fact was that the Czech Republic is located in the very center of Europe. I collected all the documents, got a visa and came to study in Ostrava. But still, at that time I knew little about the Czech Republic. I had only heard about Prague, about the beautiful Czech castles and, of course, excellent Czech beer.»
The Czech Republic met my expectations. It is a very nice country. I can easily call it my home. The mentality of the Czechs is similar to ours, it was quite easy for me to adapt to life here. I would like to get a residence permit to avoid formalities, in particular obtaining visas. The selection criteria are not that strict. I easily achieved the passing score. The most important advantage is that participants can count on some prospects and stability in life within 2.5 years. It is also important that, having a residence permit in the Czech Republic, I will not waste time getting visas, I will become part of Czech society and I will have almost the same rights as Czech residents.»
Prepared based on materials from Lidové noviny.