Special long-term residence for people displaced from Ukraine
Ukrainian holders of temporary protection in Czechia can now apply for a new type of residence permit: the special long-term residence permit. This permit allows, upon fulfilment of specific conditions, legal stay in Czechia for up to five years.
More than 82 000 individuals have so far expressed interest in this new type of residence, representing approximately one quarter of all holders of temporary protection in the country. In terms of criteria, applicants must have no criminal record and be economically self-sufficient: their annual untaxed income should be at least CZK 440 000, with an additional CZK 110 000 required for each dependent. They must also be free of debt, must not be receiving humanitarian benefits, and must have secured housing. As of 8 September, approximately 15 000 people (20% of all applicants) have been confirmed as having met these criteria. 80% of these are economically active, while 18% are children.
A report on the future of the Czech labour market – published by Boston Consulting Group in February – estimates that up to 260 000 people with temporary protection will be interested in remaining in Czechia after the temporary protection regime ends.
Guide to healthcare work and qualification recognition for migrants
The Institute of Postgraduate Education in Health Care – in conjunction with the EU, the World Health Organization (WHO) and IOM – published a guide for healthcare workers in Czechia which provides practical, accessible information to those seeking employment in the Czech healthcare system.
The guide gives a concise overview of the recognition process for foreign higher education qualifications, tailored to graduates of foreign medical schools who wish to work as doctors in Czechia. It also shares details on the certification exam for candidates educated outside the EU/EEA, covering content and conditions for passing, and outlines available postgraduate medical education, including specialist training and doctoral programmes aimed at further professional development. It can be accessed in four languages: Czech, Russian, Ukrainian and English.
Changes to support system for people with disabilities displaced from Ukraine
The seventh amendment to the Lex Ukraine Act introduced significant changes to the support system for people with disabilities who have been displaced from Ukraine. The monthly humanitarian grant available to this group is now substantially increased: CZK 11 835 overall for children and CZK 11 690 for adults. Those already receiving support are required to submit a re-assessment application by the end of September 2025 via the ePortal of the Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ).
All assessments – for both existing recipients and new applicants – will be conducted by the Institute for Health Status Assessment (IPZS). The (revised) amount of humanitarian benefit to which an applicant is entitled will be determined based on their level of self-sufficiency, as determined by the assessment, and their age.
New measures to decrease citizenship application processing times
The Ministry of the Interior adopted new organisational and staffing measures, including increasing personnel numbers and testing new technological procedures, to speed up processing times for citizenship applications.
In recent years the ministry has been unable to respond to applications within the legally prescribed deadline of 180 days, due to the growing number of applications and a persistent shortage of officials. In May 2023 there were 5 237 pending applications with an average processing time of 12–16 months, while in May 2025 there were 8 898 applications and the average processing time had risen to 15–18 months.
IOM to support staff of housing contact points for migrants
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched a project to improve access to affordable and dignified housing for migrants across all 14 regions of Czechia. The project, funded by the Czech Ministry of Regional Development, will include measures designed to increase migrants’ independence, reduce vulnerability, and strengthen cooperation among municipalities, contact points, Integration Centres, civil society, and the Ministry of Regional Development.
In May, the Czech Republic adopted a new Housing Support Act introducing systemic tools to assist people at risk of housing exclusion. The law establishes a network of 115 contact points offering counselling, guarantees for landlords, and housing loss prevention. These contact points will be the focus of IOM’s support under this project.
Public opinion on the presence and integration of migrants
The Public Opinion Research Centre (CVVM) – based at the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences – published the findings of surveys mapping public opinion on the presence and integration of migrants and attitudes towards various population groups in Czechia.
Key findings include that half of the Czech public (51%) considers the current number of migrants in the country to be ‘appropriate’. 54% have friends among migrants, most commonly young people and university graduates, while 91% feel it is important that a migrant learns to speak Czech and 14% said they would not want someone from a foreign country as their neighbour. The full survey results are available online.
Schoolchildren displaced from Ukraine
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports published the latest data on the number of children displaced from Ukraine in Czech primary and secondary schools.
Between the beginning of the 2021/22 and 2022/23 school years there was a significant increase in the number of children with Ukrainian citizenship registered in regional education institutions in Czechia. Ukrainians now represent the largest group of migrants in the Czech education system, according to the data, with approximately 70% of their group having been granted temporary protection.
The data is divided into three parts: an overview of the main findings, an analytical report providing detailed statistics (including breakdowns by regions, districts, and municipalities with extended powers) and a spreadsheet with complete data.
Government report on the migration and integration of migrants in 2024
The Ministry of the Interior, in cooperation with other ministries, published the ‘Report on the situation in the field of migration and integration of migrants in Czechia in 2024’ . The document provides detailed information on legal and illegal migration, international protection, and the integration of migrants in Czechia in 2024 and compares some key indicators with 2023 and previous years.
According to the report, the total number of migrants residing in Czechia in 2024 was almost 1.1 million (10% of the national population). Most migrant residents came from Ukraine (589 456 in total, of whom 388 067 hold temporary protection status), Slovakia (121 471) and Vietnam (69 015). 1 363 applications for international protection were made in the country in 2024, constituting the second-lowest number since 2015. In the area of legal migration, measures adopted in 2024 focused primarily on issues related to labour migration.
