Ukrainians in Czechia must give up protection to get work card

Ukrainian refugees in Czechia will probably face a dilemma next year: stay under temporary protection with free access to the labour market, or apply for a work card in exchange for a longer right of residence. In early October, on a proposal from the Foreign Ministry, Babiš’s government approved an amendment to a decree that responds to Europe-wide efforts to gradually move refugees under temporary protection onto other types of residence.

“The draft allows a gradual transition from the temporary protection regime to standard types of residence for certain groups of people who want to work in the Czech Republic, including after the war in Ukraine ends,” says the explanatory memorandum.

Give up protection first, then apply

In practice, the transition is likely to be problematic. The approved text assumes that Ukrainians must first give up temporary protection and only then apply for a work card. In effect, they lose access to the Czech labour market, sometimes for months.

“They would have to leave their jobs, which an employer will not allow. And the person is left without income. Nobody will do this voluntarily. On top of that, there is no deadline for a decision, so that, for example, a week after giving up protection a person would receive the card,” fears Gabriela Hrbáčková, deputy chair of the board of the Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Crafts and CEO of the staffing company Hofmann Personal.

According to the latest data, there are currently 394,864 refugees with temporary protection in Czechia, of whom about 170,000 were working, according to previously published figures. The Labour Office has no fresh data.

Klára Boumová of Caritas Czech Republic would welcome the change as a step in the state’s strategy of offering long-term residence to established refugees, but the system must work. “A solution could be to give up temporary protection on the day the work card is received,” she says. According to her, processing work card applications takes three months or more.

The editorial team contacted the Foreign Ministry, which made the amendment, but the ministry referred us to the Interior Ministry, which is primarily responsible for refugee matters. Lubomír Metnar’s ministry had not answered our questions by the time of publication.

What is a work card

It is a long-term residence permit for the purpose of working in Czechia. The holder may live in the country and work in the position for which the card was issued; with the consent of the Interior Ministry’s Department of Asylum and Migration Policy, they may change the position or work for another employer. Issuing the card requires an employment contract, an agreement on work activity, or a contract on a future contract. The card is valid for the duration of the contract, but for no longer than two years (MPSV data).

What business and Ukrainian organizations say

Ukrainian workers are largely key to the Czech labour market. Tomáš Prouza, president of the Union of Trade and Tourism, said back in spring that a week after they left the country would grind to a halt. Blanka Šefránková of the Confederation of Industry and Transport notes that free access to the labour market helped employers fill long-vacant positions, and Lenka Kuželová of the Economic Chamber of the Czech Republic says the chamber has long been pushing for a discussion of an effective transition from temporary protection to work cards. According to her, they do not yet know the final form of the solution.

Representatives of the Ukrainian minority say an alternative to temporary protection is needed. Ilnara Dudash of the association “Ukrainian Initiative of South Moravia” notes that interest in the card is low because the process is long and bureaucratic, and for many it is insurmountable that the application must be submitted at a mission in Ukraine, where some refugees are afraid to return. “Ideally, it would be possible to apply directly in Czechia,” Boumová agrees. Bohdan Rajčinec, chairman of the Ukrainian Initiative in the Czech Republic, believes that “it is logical that people will choose temporary protection rather than cards, even if it is only for a year.”

Hrbáčková also fears a possible end to the temporary protection regime, which has so far been extended across the EU until March 2028: the Interior Ministry will not be able to process the applications of hundreds of thousands of people at once, and processing times are already growing. She fears that some workers will leave for other countries because of the bureaucracy.

Around Prague guide on the topic: Работа в Праге и Чехии

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz