In 2016, the Czech Republic received around 37 500 immigrants, slightly more than in 2015 (35 000). Approximately 17 500 persons, including Czech nationals, left the country in 2016 (19 000 in 2015), resulting in a positive net migration of around 20 000. By the end of 2016, close to 495 000 foreigners were legally residing in the country, which marks a small increase from 2015 (465 000). More than one third of this population was registered as living in Prague and around 55% had a permanent residence permit with approximately 40% of them being EU nationals. Around 5% of the Czech population was foreign-born by the end of 2016.
Mirroring immigration trends in recent years, the main countries of origin among migrants arriving in 2016 were the Slovak Republic (6 700), Ukraine (5 800) and Russia (2 400). Approximately 55% of newly arrived migrants were male.
According to Eurostat, a total of 80 000 new permits were issued in 2016, compared to 70 000 in 2015. Close to 80% of them were for a duration of 12 months or more. Some 30% were granted for family reasons, followed by employment (29%), education (21%) and other reasons (19%). Shares were very similar in 2015.
Numbers of foreign workers and entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic have generally been on the rise since 2006, reaching a new high of 470 000 in 2016 (more than twice the 220 000 figure of 2006). The number of foreign students has also been increasing. In 2016, close to 44 000 foreign students were registered as studying in the Czech Republic, 2 000 more than in 2015. Around 50% of foreign students are Slovak nationals. Approximately 5 500 people acquired Czech citizenship in 2016, 500 more than in 2015.
As in 2015, Czech nationals constituted the largest group of emigrants (4 000), followed by Ukrainians (2 400). In addition, emigration of Czech nationals is still higher than the number of returning Czech citizens who lived abroad (- 1 300 in 2016), as has been the case for the past five years.
About 1 500 persons applied for asylum in 2016 which is similar to the number the previous year. In the first half of 2017, around 600 applications were lodged, with Ukrainian nationals being the largest group (500 applicants). Other important origin countries include Iraq, Cuba and Syria. Around one third of applicants received some form of protection; close to 150 persons were granted refugee status and another 300 persons were given subsidiary protection. In addition, 89 persons were resettled under the European Resettlement Scheme and the national humanitarian admission programme, in addition to the 20 who were resettled in 2015.
Legislation to implement the Seasonal Workers Directive and the Intra-Corporate Transfers Directive was finalised in 2016 and entered into force in 2017. In addition, a government resolution that was introduced in 2015 to facilitate the entry of highly qualified workers from Ukraine was extended in 2016 to include technical professions. Both schemes were continued in 2017.
In 2016, further amendments were made to the foreign investor scheme, with the aim of making it more attractive to immigrants while at the same time seeking to ensure that investment benefits economic development. These amendments entered into force in August 2017.
The “Concept of Integration of Foreigners on the Territory of the Czech Republic” outlines the government’s strategy towards integration and was revised in 2016. It now includes refugees as a target group, places a stronger emphasis on information sharing on the topics of migration and integration with the general public as well as with countries of origin and focuses more strongly on the education of children of migrants. Compared to 2015, the budget for integration almost doubled to CZK 54.3 million (approximately EUR 2.1 million).
In addition, the National Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings was updated in 2016, identifying the fight against labour exploitation and trafficking of children as priority areas until 2019.
