Foreigners will spend four hours on adaptation lessons in the Czech Republic
As reported by Radio Prague, the four-hour paid lecture will include information necessary for trouble-free acclimatization and solving practical issues: obtaining a visa and health insurance, renting housing, finding a job, cultural features of the Czech Republic, etc.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the annual number of course participants could reach 25,000 people. The information obtained about civil rights and obligations should prevent situations where a foreigner finds themselves in social isolation; the project also serves as a preventive measure in the fight against manifestations of terrorism – this follows from the draft decree of the Ministry of the Interior on conducting adaptation and integration courses. Based on this decree, the Law on the Residence of Foreigners is implemented.
The course is intended for foreigners who have been issued a long-term residence permit or a residence permit in the Czech Republic (Czech: dlouhodobý pobyt, trvalý pobyt, respectively). It is not mandatory for those who have received a long-term residence permit for the purpose of study or investment, and those who have been granted asylum in the country, as well as in a number of other cases. Detailed information can be found in §155b of Act 176/2019.
“I must say, I myself am from Sarajevo, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and I also went through the path of adaptation. Even though it was 28 years ago, I remember how difficult it was for me. Every piece of information that my family and I received then was very valuable and helped us a lot to orient ourselves in space, understand what and how we need to do, where and whom to ask questions – in a word, a million practical points. This knowledge made life easier not only for us but also for those we interacted with. For this reason, we decided to create a course that will help foreigners not only acclimatize but also avoid possible problems and conflicts and start living a full life in the Czech environment,” says the head of the non-governmental organization Slovo 21, Jelena Silajdžić.
The project was created not only based on the experience of integrating foreigners in the Czech Republic but also in other European countries, including Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands. As part of the course, for which a foreigner will have to pay from 800 to 1,500 crowns, brochures and video materials will be provided in nine languages, not counting Czech: English, Arabic, Russian, Mongolian, French, Serbian, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
“In this course, several important segments can be identified. First, we talk about what the Czech Republic is like, how its political and economic system is structured, about local culture, mentality, religion, and so on. Then we move on to other issues: obtaining education, health care, finding a job, entrepreneurship, and so on.
Another important thing we do is direct foreigners to integration centers that exist in every region and provide contacts to non-governmental organizations where they can get free advice and information in their native language.”
According to Jelena Silajdžić, the course is a universal tool for adaptation in the Czech Republic for any foreigner: “Our course, in essence, represents just two hours of condensed information (four hours including simultaneous interpretation – editor's note), so we cannot, unfortunately, focus on the fact that someone came from Ukraine, and someone from Vietnam or Mongolia. The conditions in the Czech Republic are the same for everyone, regardless of country of origin. If a foreigner wants to send their child to school, it does not matter where they came from: the conditions of admission and attendance of lessons are mandatory for everyone, both for Czechs and foreigners.”
The integration process proceeds at different speeds and largely depends not only on the level of Czech language proficiency but also on national characteristics; representatives of the Slavic group adapt faster in the Czech Republic, while residents of Eastern countries, Asia, and Africa have a harder time.
“If a person tries and really wants to, they will be able to become a full member of Czech society. Our courses are aimed precisely at this. Our goal is to make sure that we live together, not just side by side.”
The course 'Welcome to the Czech Republic' is mandatory for some foreigners starting January 1, 2021. If a foreigner does not complete the course at one of the integration centers within a year after arriving in the Czech Republic, they will have to pay a fine. The amount of the latter has not yet been determined.