Author
Asylum seekers in the Czech Republic gain access to the reception conditions as soon as the application is registered by the responsible authorities. Sometimes, especially at the airport of Prague, the asylum application never gets registered by the Aliens Police or the MoI Department for Asylum and Migration Policies and people are pushed-back to the planes heading to the airports of their departure. The main provider of reception conditions to asylum seekers is the MoI – Refugee Facilities Administration (RFA – www.suz.cz).
The reception conditions are provided for as long as the asylum procedure at the first and the second instance is ongoing. In the extraordinary ‘third’ instance proceedings before the SAC, the reception conditions are in general not provided to asylum seekers, but the RFA can grant an exceptional reception conditions provision to vulnerable individuals awaiting the decision of the SAC.
Recognised refugees who register themselves in the so-called State Integration Program are entitled to accommodation provision in IAS for the maximum period of 18 months and can register themselves as job seekers with local labor offices which entitles them to benefit from the regular state social benefits system.
Reception centres (PřS)
PřS centres provide accommodation for newly arrived applicants for international protection until the basic entry procedures (identity verification, submission of an application for international protection, medical examinations) have been completed. Accommodation, meals, basic hygiene products, medical care, social and psychological services and leisure activities are provided here. Applicants are not allowed to leave the facility freely until the prescribed medical examinations have been completed. RFA operates a reception centre in the transit area of Prague Airport (at the external Schengen border) and a reception centre in Zastávka u Brna.
Accommodation centres (PoS)
After completing the entry procedures at the reception centre, applicants (those who cannot secure accommodation by their own means and efforts) have the option of staying at one of the accommodation centres until their application for international protection (under the jurisdiction of the OAMP MV) is processed. They can leave the centre, receive financial contributions, and prepare their own meals. Social workers are available to applicants, who can take advantage of leisure activities, voluntary Czech language courses, and legal and psychological assistance.
The RFA operates accommodation centres in Kostelec nad Orlicí, Havířov, Zastávka, and Bělá pod Bezdězem.
Integration Asylum centres (IAS)
Integration Asylum centres provide temporary accommodation for persons who have been granted international protection in the form of asylum or subsidiary protection, have entered the state integration program, and do not have other housing secured. All residents are provided with assistance from a social worker, counseling focused on finding housing, employment, and other integration activities, including Czech language courses as a key activity of the state integration program. The maximum length of stay for foreigners is 18 months, but most stay for a significantly shorter period. SUZ operates IAS in Brno, Jaroměř, Havířov, and Ústí nad Labem – Předlice.
Facilities for the detention of foreigners – (ZZC)
The facility is intended for the detention of foreigners who have been issued with a decision on administrative expulsion and detention by the Immigration Police. Foreigners who are to be transferred to another EU Member State under the Dublin Regulation and who are considered to be at risk of absconding may also be placed in ZZC. Foreigners detained under the Asylum Act may also stay in the ZZC. Foreigners are provided with accommodation, meals, and basic material support. Social workers, leisure time educators, a psychologist, legal services, and necessary and urgent medical care are available through the Ministry of the Interior Medical Facility (ZZ MV).
The RFA operates two ZZC facilities for men only, in Vyšní Lhoty and Balková. One ZZC facility in Bělá Jezová is intended for women only, families with children, and other vulnerable groups of people.