Author
The Chapter: Reception Conditions in Slovakia contains sections on:
A. Access and forms of reception conditions
- Criteria and restrictions to access reception conditions
- Forms and levels of material reception conditions
- Reduction or withdrawal of reception conditions
- Freedom of movement
B. Housing
C. Employment and education
D. Health care
E. Special reception needs of vulnerable groups
F. Information for asylum seekers and access to reception centres
G. Differential treatment of specific nationalities in reception
Short overview of the reception system
Responsibility for the reception of applicants for international protection in Slovakia lies with the Migration Office of the Ministry of Interior (MO), which operates the national reception system and accommodation facilities. Applicants are granted access to material reception conditions from the moment they express the intention to apply for asylum and are subsequently registered in the asylum procedure. Initial accommodation is provided in a reception centre where basic needs, including accommodation, food and essential services, are ensured.
Applicants remain entitled to reception conditions for the duration of the asylum procedure. Following the granting of international protection, beneficiaries may continue to stay in accommodation facilities for a limited transitional period intended to facilitate integration and access to housing on the private market.
Reception conditions cease once a final decision is issued in the asylum procedure, including both negative decisions and decisions granting international protection, as the persons concerned no longer hold the status of asylum applicants.
The Slovak reception system is primarily based on collective accommodation centres operated by the state. The system includes a reception centre used mainly for newly arrived applicants and identification procedures, as well as open accommodation centres intended for applicants whose procedure is ongoing. Facilities differ in size and function but generally consist of shared accommodation units with common sanitary facilities and communal services. Families are typically accommodated together, while single adults are housed separately.
Applicants for international protection are placed in the Reception Centre in Humenné immediately after lodging their application with the Asylum Department of the Police Force in Humenné. They typically remain in this facility for approximately three weeks, until the completion of medical screening procedures aimed at excluding infectious diseases.
After completing the initial reception phase, applicants are either placed in an accommodation centre or allowed to reside outside the accommodation centre. The MoI may also place an applicant in an integration centre for a necessary period.[1] In practice, single men are accommodated in Accommodation Centre Rohovce. Women and families are accommodated in Accommodation Centre Opatovská Nová Ves. Unaccompanied children are accommodated in the Centre for Children and Families in Medzilaborce, regardless of their status as applicants for international protection. If the applicant is an unaccompanied child, he or she is obliged, unless prevented by serious reasons, to report to an accommodation centre within three days of reaching the age of majority; this shall not apply if the applicant has requested to remain in a child protection and social guardianship facility.[2]
Applicants may be authorised to reside outside an accommodation centre upon a written request for a period of up to three months, which may be extended repeatedly. Such permission is conditional upon proof that the applicant is able to cover the costs of accommodation independently or that a third person legally residing in Slovakia undertakes to provide accommodation and cover all related expenses.[3]
Applicants accommodated in reception facilities may attend Slovak language courses organised by the MoI. The authorities are also required to provide psychological counselling, social counselling or other forms of support based on individual needs, including cultural orientation courses. In the case of minors, such services must also be provided where necessary for the child’s development. In practice, these services are provided by SHC, within the AMIF-funded project E.S.O.
[1] Article 22(2) of the Asylum Act
[2] Article 23d(2) of the Asylum Act
[3] Article 22(3) of the Asylum Act