Foreigners from 10 countries probably won't need work permits, Czech government to discuss

Foreigners from 10 countries outside the European Union will probably not need work permits or employment cards in the Czech Republic from July. People from Australia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Britain, the US, Israel, Singapore and Taiwan should have free access to the labour market. This is foreseen in a new draft regulation to be approved by the government on Wednesday. The measure is intended to make things easier for experts and managers from foreign countries. The cabinet will be able to adjust the list according to the current state of the labour market after discussion in the tripartite. At the end of March, the labour offices registered about 10,000 employees from ten selected countries in the Czech Republic.

"When selecting the countries, particular consideration was given to the fact that it is a priority for the Czech Republic to support the recruitment and employment of highly qualified workers and from a security point of view, the selected countries are countries with a minimum degree of risk," the Labour Ministry said in its documents. It said the measure will make it easier and quicker for foreigners who are among the highest paid to enter the Czech labour market. The administrative burden on employers is also to be reduced. The office reminds that people from the selected countries do not reside and work in the Czech Republic illegally, nor do they apply for asylum here.

An amendment to the Employment Act is due to come into force in July. According to it, people from countries on the new list should not need a work permit, an employee card, a blue card or an intra-corporate transfer. This is to be set by the government in a regulation after a tripartite discussion. Ministers, trade unionists and employers discussed the selection in early May. The Labour Ministry initially proposed seven countries, but after debate added Taiwan, Singapore and Israel.

People from outside the EU and the European Economic Area now need permits or cards to work in the Czech Republic. Some employers and investors have pointed to a lengthy procedure that complicates the situation when bringing in experts. The Ministry of Labour said in the documents for the regulation that the countries on the list are among the strongest economically in the world and the Czech Republic has long been interested in intensive cooperation. However, the authors of the regulation note that in these countries "reciprocal access" to Czech workers cannot be required.

At the end of the first quarter, labour offices registered 9,989 male and female employees from the ten countries on the list. More than 80 percent worked in high-skilled positions, the Ministry said.

People from the ten selected countries represent 1.2 percent of foreign employees in the Czech Republic, which totalled 817,940 at the end of March. There were 2,505 workers from the US, 4,434 from Britain, 93 from New Zealand, 929 from South Korea, 717 from Japan, 389 from Canada, 204 from Australia, 525 from Israel, 169 from Taiwan and 25 from Singapore.

Source: Czech Labour Ministry and CTK