The compatriot relocation program helped 160 ethnic Czechs return to their historical homeland
All those relocating who are included in the government support program (and we are talking about hereditary Volhynian Czechs) are initially accommodated in the Ministry of the Interior hotel in the town of Červená nad Vltavou. To provide assistance to the immigrants, the government ordered the allocation of 66 million crowns (2.4 million euros) from the state treasury this year.
The original plan provided for the acceptance of 250 ethnic Czechs living in Ukraine. In the coming 2016, the implementation of the program should continue. In the hotel in Červená nad Vltavou, immigrants can stay for six months. During this period, they are provided with accommodation, meals and intensive Czech language lessons. The Czech state also provides one-time financial assistance to immigrants from among Ukrainian ethnic Czechs. The program provides for a payment of 50,000 crowns (1,800 euros) for each adult, and 20,000 crowns (over 700 euros) for each child.
Applications are considered individually
To clarify the details regarding the compatriot relocation program, journalists from Radio Prague contacted the country's Ministry of the Interior. The press department of the agency confirmed that the government's compatriot relocation program is intended for all foreign citizens who can prove that they are of Czech origin and do not have a residence permit in the Czech Republic. Within the framework of the relocation program, you can submit an application for assistance from the Czech state, which will be considered individually. The basis for providing assistance is all available data, including transcripts of conversations conducted during the submission of documents. Assistance under the relocation program can be provided, for example, to individuals or families who are in need, taking into account their social situation. The health condition of one of the family members can also be a reason.
Ethnic Czechs have the opportunity to immediately apply for permanent residence without having to meet the condition of previous legal residence in the Czech Republic. The standard option requires continuous residence in the country for 5 years. To obtain permanent residence, ethnic Czechs, for example, are also not required to pass a Czech language exam.
To find out about the current situation at the temporary shelter of compatriots relocating to the Czech Republic, housed in the Ministry of the Interior hotel in Červená nad Vltavou, we turned to the charitable organization Charita Česká republika, whose employees help families of ethnic Czechs adapt to new living conditions.
"Currently, in Červená nad Vltavou, at the Ministry of the Interior hotel, there are about 50 Czech compatriots who arrived from Ukraine. In total, the resettlement project has covered about 160 people," comments Svetlana Porsche, head of the Migration Center of Charita Česká republika. "We are talking about those people who arrived in the Czech Republic, lived in this hotel, and now, with our support, have already found housing, work, schools for their children, and so on."
Those currently housed in the hotel have good living conditions, which are provided to them free of charge. They are also provided with meals free of charge. They can stay in the hotel for 6 months, but statistics show that if it is a young and able-bodied family, they move out of the hotel after 2 months. During this time, all formalities for obtaining permanent residence and finding a job are settled. While living in the hotel, in addition to free social and legal consultations as well as an integration course, the relocated compatriots undergo an intensive Czech language course."
"From which regions of Ukraine did the immigrants currently living in Červená nad Vltavou come?"
"The last ones came from the eastern region of Ukraine. Helping these people, I think, is now the main goal of the Ministry of the Interior."
"In which regions of the Czech Republic do ethnic Czechs from Ukraine find housing and work?"
"It varies. Statistics show that most compatriots moved to the city of Tachov, West Bohemia, Plzeň Region. This is because Czech compatriots who moved from Ukraine earlier already live in Tachov. Many have relatives and friends there. Immigrants also go to other cities where suitable work is available, and local authorities offer municipal housing. In this case, we can mention Cheb, Plzeň, Brno, Beroun."
"What kind of work do immigrants from Ukraine most often find?"
"With each of the clients, we conduct a so-called 'social conversation', during which we find out their desires and needs, as well as professional preferences. However, it must be taken into account that although they are ethnic Czechs, many of them do not speak Czech very well or do not know the language at all. Therefore, despite the fact that some of them previously worked in higher positions and graduated from university, at present they will have to choose a job that does not require good knowledge of the Czech language. Most often it is manual labor."