Foreigners in the Czech Republic
Introduction |
Contents |
This is the fourth publication in the series ‘Foreigners in the Czech Republic’ of the Czech Statistical Office, which follows the first brought out in December 2001. In the new edition of 2004, the graphs and the contents of some tables are slightly expanded in compliance with the amendments to the legislation regulating these problems. The book thus updates and expands data on foreigners in the Czech Republic, focusing comprehensively on current data on foreign citizens who chose the Czech Republic to be their place of permanent or long-term residence, have found or are have been still seeking jobs there and/or came to the Czech Republic to escape political persecution or a critical economic situation in their countries. Data for the year 2003, frequently supplemented with time series of data for the previous years, are a focal point of the publication. Since there is not enough space in the paper version of this publication, data for all years, for which the data are available, are not included in tables containing time series. The whole time series can be found at the website of the CZSO:
Bringing out of the publication is based, the same as in the previous years, on a Government Resolution (this year it is the Resolution of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 126 of 11 February 2004).
Similarly to the publications brought out before the information presented in this book was gained from the information systems administered by the Ministry of the Interior of theCR, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the CR, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the CR, Ministry of Justice of the CR, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the CR, and Ministry of Health of the CR, and the Czech Statistical Office, and coordinated by the editorial board composed of representatives of the above-mentioned departments. Publishing this book is instigated by the Minister of the Interior’s Commission for the Integration of Foreigners and Development of Relations among Communities.
In chapter 1 (Demographic aspects of the foreigner’s life) there is a new table in comparison to the previous issues (1-10 Foreigners by purpose-of-residence code, sex and citizenship - data for the 10 most numerous foreign nationalities in the CR). For comparison, the graph of age structure of foreigners in the CR was added by a similar graph for the entire population of the CR. There are also two more new graphs, which illustrate the development of the structure of children born to foreigners by citizenship, and a graph depicting economic activity as a purpose of residence and its structure for the five most numerous foreign nationalities in the CR.
Chapter 2 (Asylum and asylum facilities) remained almost unchanged; only tables 2-4 and 2-5 describing the course of the asylum procedure at the High Court were replaced by tables showing proceedings on the level of regional courts due to a legislative change.
In chapter 3 (Economic activity of foreigners), tables 3-20 to 3-23 were extended by new information on foreigners with trade licence (as in the last year) as well as foreigners with work permit and citizens of Slovakia registered by employment offices. It was enabled thanks to the linkage of the OK-Práce information system of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the CR with the central level.
From chapter 4 (Education of foreigners), it was necessary to exclude table 4-3, because it does not necessarily provide information on foreigners and also tables 4-15 to 4-17 as the item field of study in the register of students does not include data of sufficient quality.
In chapter 6 (Health care for foreign citizens), tables 6-2 and 6-3 newly provide data for hospitals for health sector as a whole. In the previous publications, data were provided only for the Ministry of Health of the CR.
In the remaining two chapters (Crime of foreigners and Illegal migration across the state border of the Czech Republic) only small changes were made.
Group of foreigners, on whom records are available in information systems, differs one from another; it is quite difficult to create a complex picture about foreigners from such non-homogeneous sources. It is not a willful complicating of orientation in information about foreigners; this situation is caused rather by the fact that individual information sources are modified for the needs of the relevant ministry, at which they were made, and the process of harmonization of data sources with regards to mutual comparability is only in the beginning and is in no case easy. To make it clearer about what foreigners individual tables provide information, we have prepared a summary table, which you can find on the page 5 ( numbers of tables relate to this year’s issue of the publication).
Changes that will occur in the next issue of the publication (in 2005), however, will be more substantial and it is necessary to be prepared that the comparability of data for 2003 and 2004 will be limited due to them. The changes are often related to the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU.
Thus, should there be any comments as to the contents and form of the publication, now is the right time to inform us about them so that we can take them into account while preparing another issue of the publication.
The publication is provided free to libraries, schools, research institutes and non-government non-profit organizations and institutions. The information it contains is also designed for members of Parliament and the Government of the Czech Republic as well as for central and local governments, journalists, and all citizens of the Czech Republic.
Prague, November 2004
