The Czech Republic is very popular for tourists who like to see unique architecture that dates back to the Medieval times. Foreign workers also see the country as a promised land because of the available opportunities it provides. Unfortunately, many find it difficult to get a work visa because of the long processing of visa applications.

On Friday, the Czech government said that it is looking for ways to improve how work permits are issued. This is in light of the dwindling number of foreign workers from nearby EU countries, India and Asia.

What Changes Can Be Expected

The government will be discussing the issue on Monday, as well as vote on a new proposal to support it. The proposal aims to increase the maximum number of applications for business, investment and employment visas accepted in agencies.

The proposal also aims to help embassies and consulates to respond to the demand and improve transparency in visa issuance.

The Czech Chamber of Commerce sees that half a million workers are needed by Czech employers to complete their roster. Special quotas are already in place to meet the demand, especially in countries like Serbia, India, the Philippines, Ukraine and Mongolia.

In his statement with Czech Radio, Chamber Head Vladimir Dlouhy described how the government will change the working visa policy and quota system. Three programs and schemes will remain by September: highly qualified foreign workers, standard qualified workers and specialist workers working on science and research industries. No unqualified and low-skilled workers can apply.

Under the new Qualified Employee scheme, the Chamber will be accepting applications from companies looking for workers in certain countries.

The government will set up the annual quota in response to the work demand. However, they will change the quota limit based on the needs of the country. For example, if the country’s science and research industry needs workers, the government will increase the quota for that industry.

Currently, Ukrainian worker quotas are the highest with 19,600 workers. It is possible that it will increase to 40,000 as time passes on. Workers from Montenegro, Serbia, the Philippines, Moldova, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and India are also in demand.

Czech employers can submit applications from workers outside the Qualified Employee Programme countries not seen as conflict areas.

Czech Republic Information

Want to learn more about what you can see and do in the Czech Republic? Check out our guides on where to stay, how to travel, what are the train ticket prices and how much the cost of living is in the country. You can also read our Schengen visa guide here.

For further information, tourists may also check the CzechTourism website.

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For those interested in flying to the Czech Republic, travelers will need a Schengen visa or a Czech visa. The country is home to some of Europe’s well-preserved medieval cities, museums and cathedrals. It also hosts some of the largest beer festivals in the world. Considering these tourist attractions, the country reports a high volume of visa applications for this year.

On Wednesday, August 14, the Czech Foreign Ministry reported they reached a high volume of visa applications for the first half of the year. At least 408,000 visa applications have been recorded by the Czech consulates around the world for just the first 6 months of the year.

Why is there a sudden interest?

According to the head of the Visa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs David Novy, the increase can be related to the new travel options available for tourists and the increase in short-term work migration.

“There are several reasons behind the growing number of visa applications. First of all, it is a continuous and increasing popularity of the Czech Republic as a tourist destination.

“We can currently see a significant growth of the number of tourists from India and China, as their buying power increases.

“There are also economic reasons. Entrepreneurs are coming to the Czech Republic for business trips and business meetings. And we can also see a rapid growth in the number of short-term work stays,” said Novy.

Most of the applications to get a visa to visit the Czech Republic came from Moscow. The consulate reported 100,000 visa applications from Russia alone. After Russia, the Czech embassy in Beijing and Shanghai reported a high volume of visa applications with 38,000 and 20,000 applications respectively.

When it comes to short-term work visa applications, the consular office in Lvov, Ukraine and Shanghai, China recorded the highest number of applications. Both embassies reported 51,000 and 50,000 applications respectively.

Novy also said that short-term work visa applications have increased for the first half of the year. Long-term work visas are mostly issued in Ukraine, Mongolia, Serbia and the Philippines. But, these visas are usually given out by the Ministry of Interior.

Impact of Visa Applications to the Czech Republic

The number of visa applications in the Czech Republic allowed the country to be the 7th Schengen country to issue the highest number of visas. The number allowed the government to collect half a billion crowns to support the state fund. Novy remarks that the government may be able to collect over 1 billion crowns if trends continue.

Meanwhile, the government had rejected 5 percent of the applications this year. Denials are higher in areas with high migration rates and safety issues.

Want to learn more about what you can see and do in the Czech Republic? Check out our guides on where to stay, how to travel, what are the train ticket prices and how much the cost of living is in the country. You can also read our Schengen visa guide here.

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