Prague - Over 1,000 qualified non-EU workers have moved to the Czech Republic through a government programme launched in 2003.
Typical participants are scientists, IT experts and technicians from countries including Bosnia, India, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Ukraine.
Unlike the recently-approved green card scheme for guest workers staying for a maximum of two or three years, this programme is designed to help non-EU specialists to settle in the country with their families and get a fast-track access to permanent residency.
On Monday 20 October, the cabinet is scheduled to decide whether the programme will continue in the following years or not.
Fast track to permanent residency
Andrea Veselá, manager of the programme for non-EU experts, says the scheme has been successful in that many participants have received permanent residency and settled in the Czech Republic instead of moving further west.
The most qualified participants are eligible for permanent residency after 1.5 years, while those with average qualifications have to wait 2.5 years. Foreigners who are not participating in the programme have to wait for five years. The programme is only open for those with at least a high-school diploma.
The programme has so far attracted 1,035 foreigners, including 351 women and 756 people with a university degree. A half of the participants have moved to the Czech Republic with their families. Most of them are aged between 25 and 35 years.
The reasons why non-EU foreigners come to work in the Czech Republic are mostly economic.
"In the countries of eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, the unemployment rates are high and salaries are still lower than in the Czech Republic," says immigration expert Blanka Hančilová. She adds that linguistic and cultural proximity is another factor.
Unskilled foreigners needed to fill empty jobs
Besides foreigners with expert qualifications, unskilled guest workers and immigrants are also needed to fill jobs unwanted by Czechs. "The economic development of the Czech Republic in the past 10 years owes largely to the work of foreigners in the construction industry," says Hančilová.
Unemployment in the Czech Republic is record-low and many companies are complaining about staff shortages.
According to Czech Statistical Office figures, about a third of foreigners have unskilled jobs in the Czech Republic; one-quarter are craftsmen or work in repairs services; 10 percent are scientists and other specialists.
In mid-2008, more than 260,000 foreigners were working legally in the Czech Republic, including more than 101,000 Slovaks, 62,000 Ukrainians and 23,000 Poles.
Almost 69,000 foreigners hold a business or freelancer licence.
