1. Asylum seekers in the Czech Republic Katarina Fagošová

2. Definition  Refugees form a subgroup of migrants  Refugee is a person who is outside their own country‘s territory owing to fear of persecution on grounds of ethnicity, nationality, religion, political opinions or social activities (1951 UN Refugee Convention)

3. Basic principles  Every person has the right of asylum  Every country establishes its own rules for accepting refugees and its decisions can not be challenged  With the status of refugee a person gets a protection of a sovereign authority (the country)

4. Czech law terminology  Czech law does not know the term „refugee“… instead:  „asylum seeker“ – a person who applyed for a status of refugee  „asylum status holder“ – a person who was accorded a status of refugee

5. Czech asylum law and procedures  Asylum Act No. 325/1999  Asylum and Migration Policies Department (Ministry of the Interior of the CR)  Asylum facilities: Reception centre Reception centre Residence centre Residence centre Integration asylum centre Integration asylum centre

6. Asylum facilities

7. Asylum seekers  Decline in the number of applicants after 2004 (2005 – 1,500 asylum seekers less than in 2004)  2007 - 1,878 new asylum seekers - 191 people were accorded asylum - 191 people were accorded asylum 2008 - 582 new asylum seekers 2008 - 582 new asylum seekers - 37 people were accorded asylum - 37 people were accorded asylum - 2,054 asylum status holders - 2,054 asylum status holders

8. Countries of origin - 2007 COUNTRY  Ukrajine  Turkey  Mongolia  Kazakhstan  Belarus  Vietnam  Russia  Cuba  Nigeria  other NUMBER OF PEOPLE - % 293 - 16 % 213 - 11 % 160 - 9 % 154 - 8 % 130 - 7 % 100 - 5 % 99 - 5 % 94 - 5 % 78 - 4 % 557 - 30 %

9. Integration of asylum status holders  Residence permission  Integration asylum centre  Governmental integration program - free czech language courses - free czech language courses (compulsory school attendance for (compulsory school attendance for children – asylum seekers as well) children – asylum seekers as well) - cheaper „integration flats“ - cheaper „integration flats“

10. Problems of the integration process  Unemployment  Integration into the local community

11. Evaluation of the asylum policy PLUS PLUS -Intergration policy („integration flats“) („integration flats“)MINUS -Long asylum proceeding -Amnesty International ČR charges it for nontransparency, inhuman treatment of the applicants and too low percentage of the asylum status accordance (2-3 %)

12. Sources  www.mvcr.cz www.mvcr.cz  www.imo.cz www.imo.cz  www.unhcr.cz/dokumenty/study_integ race.doc www.unhcr.cz/dokumenty/study_integ race.doc www.unhcr.cz/dokumenty/study_integ race.doc  www.migraceonline.cz www.migraceonline.cz  www.uprchlici.cz www.uprchlici.cz  www.unhcr.cz www.unhcr.cz  http://uprchlik.ecn.cz/cz/doc/pap.rtf. http://uprchlik.ecn.cz/cz/doc/pap.rtf