Proposed amendments to foreigners’ law would complicate life for immigrants

Proposed amendments to the foreigners’ law currently being debated in Parliament could significantly complicate the life of foreigners in the Czech Republic, according to the Chamber of Commerce and non-governmental institutions helping immigrants. They point out that the amendments, which proponents claim are in the interest of national security, could impact Czechs married to a foreigner or those employing foreign workers. According to the proposed changes foreigners who are refused residence by the Interior Ministry could no longer take their case to court as they may now. According to Magda Faltova, head of the Association for Integration, over a quarter of these court appeals are successful. Foreigners filing applications would also have to present the originals of documents such as birth or wedding certificates.