Detailed Information
What does the project offer?
In the modern world, everything is in motion. Millions are leaving their home countries for better jobs in other countries. The demand is mainly for qualified professionals who apply their knowledge and experience around the world. More and more of them are coming and staying permanently in the Czech Republic, a country with a high quality of life and good potential for further development.
The pilot project “Selection of Qualified Foreign Workers” represents a dynamically developing component of the Czech active migration policy. It supports the arrival of foreign experts together with their families in the Czech Republic, gives them the opportunity to obtain permanent residence in a significantly shorter time than others and creates the conditions for their rapid and successful integration into society without requiring them to renounce their cultures, customs or language.
Why the Czech Republic at all?
The Czech Republic is a developed democratic country with a market economy, a member of the European Union, NATO and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The standard of living in the Czech Republic is high, in the evaluation of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 2005 it was in 31st place out of 177 countries around the world. Czech society is not a xenophobic society and appreciates everyone who earns a decent living.
Possibility of obtaining permanent residence
According to the valid law, a foreigner may apply for a permanent residence permit after five years of continuous residence in the Czech Republic.
However, the pilot project gives qualified professionals the opportunity to apply for permanent residence after only two and a half years. Permanent residence will bring you a number of rights and open up the opportunity to fully participate in society. You will gain access to all social benefits and benefits, you will be able to move freely on the Czech labor market, you will be able to buy or rent real estate freely and you will get a number of other benefits and entitlements.
Family? Sure!
The pilot project is aimed at supporting the arrival of qualified foreign workers. But life in the Czech Republic would not be complete without your loved ones. We count on this and support the arrival of whole families. Immigration with your wife or husband and children is a matter of course!
Above-standard protection in case of job loss
A foreigner can stay in the Czech Republic only if the purpose of his stay lasts. Therefore, if he is employed in the Czech Republic and loses his job, he also automatically loses the right of residence.
However, the pilot project gives qualified foreign experts a 30-day protection period. If you lose your job due to reasons independent of your will, you still have thirty days when you can find a new job and stay in the Czech Republic in cooperation with and with the help of labor offices.
Everything is free!
Admission to the project is completely free, no administrative fees are charged. However, you must take into account the certain costs of court translations or notarization of the documents necessary to apply for the project.
And of course a friendly approach!
The Czech Republic values foreign experts and tries to prepare suitable living conditions for them and their families. Therefore, the Czech authorities and institutions should treat you as a participant in the pilot project in a friendly and above-standard manner. A specialized administrative office has been set up in Prague for those interested in joining the project, where we are ready to answer questions and provide you with the necessary contacts to all authorities.
Entry conditions
What do you have to meet?
You can apply for the pilot project “Selection of qualified foreign workers” only if you meet the following basic requirements.
1. Permitted stay in the Czech Republic for the purpose of employment
If you are applying for inclusion in the pilot project, you must prove that you have a residence permit in the Czech Republic and submit:
-
- valid visa for a stay of more than 90 days for the purpose of employment with a marked validity period of at least six months (except for visas D / VC / 01/25 “self-employed person” and D / VC / 01/36 “executive manager – participation in a legal entity “)
or
- long-term residence permit for the purpose of employment (with permit L / NE / VC / 01/25 “self-employed person” and L / NE / VC / 01/36 “executive manager – participation in a legal entity”).
Other types of residence permits in the Czech Republic are not accepted when applying for a project.
Under no circumstances can you join the pilot project if you are an asylum seeker in the Czech Republic (refugees) or if you have already been granted asylum in the Czech Republic.
2. Work permit
The pilot project is open to you only if you have found a legal job in the Czech Republic and the locally competent labor office has issued you a work permit.
Detailed information can be found in the Employment section .
3. Education achieved
You must prove that you have successfully completed a secondary (secondary) education with a high school diploma.
This condition does not apply to foreign graduates of Czech secondary schools.
4. Work experience
When applying for a pilot project, you must provide a document confirming the completion of any full-time employment of at least six months.
This condition does not apply to foreign graduates of Czech high schools and universities.
5. Nationality
You can apply for the pilot project only if you prove the nationality of Bulgaria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Canada, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro or Ukraine.
This condition does not apply to foreign graduates of Czech universities who completed their studies in 1995 or later, and to foreign graduates of Czech secondary schools who completed their studies in 2000 or later. The pilot project is open to foreign graduates from all over the world, with the exception of those who studied in the Czech Republic as part of development aid.
What do you not have to meet?
Entry into the pilot project is not limited by the upper age limit or the obligation to speak Czech or understand the Czech language (although it will certainly come in handy for your scoring). Furthermore, you do not have to be employed in a certain profession. In no case will the faith or religion you profess exclude you.
If you meet the above basic conditions (1-5), you can apply for the project. The points system will also tell you what your chances are.
Point system
Like a few other countries in the world that have an active migration policy, the Czech Republic selects among those interested in immigrating to the Czech Republic on the basis of points.
The Government of the Czech Republic regularly announces binding scoring criteria according to their importance for the selection of the most suitable foreign experts and for their successful integration into society.
A number of factors are important for successful integration into society. These are taken into account in the selection criteria.
In the pilot project, you will therefore be evaluated according to the following criteria
- age,
- employment in the Czech Republic,
- previous work experience,
- acquired education,
- experience of living in the Czech Republic,
- language skills,
- and will also be taken into account by your family.
Based on the facts stated in your application and which have been substantiated by credible documents, a specialized computer program will prepare your score. Points are therefore awarded on the basis of objective facts and no human factor interferes in the whole process.
The criteria and their point evaluation are shown in the following overview table.
For some criteria (employment, work experience and educational attainment) you must obtain a certain minimum number of points. Without it, you cannot be included in the project.
In order to be selected in the pilot project and to be able to enjoy all the benefits and entitlements resulting from participating in it, you must obtain at least 25 out of a maximum of 66 points.
If you do not get 25 points, you will not be excluded from the computer database of those interested in joining the pilot project. You may supplement your education or language skills over time and earn a few more points and exceed the required 25 points.
Table of points system criteria
| Criteria | Max | Calculation of points |
| Min | ||
| Employment | 6 |
|
| 3 | ||
| Work experience | 12 |
|
| 1 * | ||
| Educational attainment | 15 |
|
| 2 | ||
| Age | 8 |
|
| Previous experience with life in the Czech Republic | 6 |
|
| Language skills | 9 |
|
| Family evaluation | 10 |
|
If you reach the minimum of 25 points, it is still necessary to meet the basic Entry Conditions in order to be accepted into the project .
Documents
Documents to prove the online application for the pilot project “Selection of qualified foreign workers”
Mandatory documents to support the application for the pilot project:
- Valid travel document, certifying the applicant’s identification data and belonging to the given destination state.
- Visa for a stay of more than 90 days for the purpose of employment or a long-term residence permit for the purpose of employment.
- Current work permit in the Czech Republic issued by the locally competent labor office.
- Current employment contract or other written confirmation of the existence of an employment relationship in the Czech Republic signed by the employer with the exact date of commencement of employment.
- Certificate of final examinations, certifying the achievement of the appropriate level of education (eg graduation certificate, university diploma, etc.), translated into Czech and nostrified (translation into Czech does not apply to foreign graduates of Czech high schools and universities).
- Evidence of previous employment (job reports, work books, employer’s confirmation stating the exact duration of the employment) with regard to the country of origin translated into Czech. This is a criterion of so-called work experience and in order to enter the pilot project it is necessary to prove the six-month duration of any full-time employment in any country from the period preceding the beginning of the current work permit in the Czech Republic. It can be one or more months of work experience or more than at least six months. This point is not mandatory for foreign graduates of Czech universities and secondary schools.
- The decision to place the child in the care of the applicant or the consent of the other parent that their joint minor dependent child may join the pilot project together with the applicant is mandatory only if the applicant wants to include his minor dependent child in his / her application and is divorced. or does not live in the same household as the other spouse and child.
- Passport format photos.
Optional documents which, if substantiated, increase the applicant’s score:
- Evidence of knowledge of the language (s) listed in the language proficiency section (eg state examination certificate, proof of completion of a language course, proof of completion of an attestation in the Czech language, etc.).
- Evidence of previous residence in the Czech Republic (employment contracts, credit certificates, confirmation from the employer stating the exact duration of the employment relationship, trade license).
- Spouse documents – the same documents are required as for the applicant in points 1 to 8, if such documents exist and if you request that your spouse’s points be included in your points.
- Applicant ‘s children over the age of 18 – certificate of study.
All documents you submit must be genuine and the information contained in them must be up to date. If you submit forged or false documents, you will be permanently excluded from the pilot project. Of course, all data must be easy to read.
Please also note that all documents submitted by you must be (unless otherwise stated below) in the form of a notarized copy of the document provided with an official translation into the Czech language under the law of the Czech Republic (court translation) or under the law of your country.
If you intend to include your immediate family (spouse, minors and dependent children) in your application for a permanent residence permit after 2.5 years, then you are required to provide proof of your marital status.
Documents issued by the relevant Kazakh authorities must be accompanied by an apostille clause, documents issued by the Canadian authorities must be super legalized. Details on nostrification can be found on the following pages.
Nostrification of foreign education documents (details here »)
Education systems and their settings vary from country to country. Objective evaluation of the applicant’s education presupposes a decision on the equivalence of education documents (so-called nostrification). This will make it possible to find an equivalent degree in the Czech educational system.
Nostrification is performed only in the Czech Republic. The authorized office for the recognition of secondary education is the Department of Education of the regional office according to the place of residence in the Czech Republic, and for the recognition of higher education it is a Czech university with a similar study program. In complex cases, the decision is made by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.
To make a decision on nostrification, you must submit:
- application for nostrification of a certificate issued by a foreign school and
- certified copies of documents (certificate, diploma, complete list of studies or supplement to the diploma).
Documents on secondary and higher education must be translated into the Czech language and officially verified.
The decision on nostrification is an administrative procedure. A period of 30 days therefore applies to him.
NOTICE! Applicants must have all the required documents validated at the time of application for the pilot project.
Project legislation
The pilot project was created on the basis of the following resolutions of the Government of the Czech Republic:
- No. 975 of September 26, 2001 ;
- No. 720 of 10 July 2002 ;
- No 340 of 14 April 2004 ;
- No 394 of 6 April 2005 ;
- No 1377 of 26 October 2005 and
- No 431 of 19 April 2006 .
Legal disclaimer
The information on this website does not create any rights and cannot be invoked in case of any disputes within the implementation of the pilot project “Selection of qualified foreign workers”. The only authentic information about the pilot project are official official documents approved by the government of the Czech Republic. The implementation of the pilot project is governed by these documents and the valid legal order of the Czech Republic. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs reserves the right to change the information on this site at any time without prior notice.
Official communication
The project is set up to protect its participants as much as possible. Valid and authoritative information regarding your participation in the project must come exclusively from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic, labor offices, the Aliens and Border Police of the Czech Republic, embassies and the International Organization for Migration. The project does not count on any intermediaries, and if any intermediary addresses you in this regard, even if it is protected by contact with the ministry or the foreigner and border police, it is not its official activity within the project!