From next year, the Interior Ministry will stop issuing and reimbursing vouchers for the Czech language exam required by applicants for permanent residence. Credit: Freepik.
Prague, August 1 (CTK) – The Czech Interior Ministry plans to stop issuing and reimbursing vouchers for the language exam required for applicants for permanent residence in the Czech Republic, based on a proposal by the Education Ministry.
This change is supposed to come into effect next year. In addition, the ministry will raise the price for taking the exam from CZK 2,500 to CZK 3,200 from 1 January, in an effort to save money.
The proposal is part of an amendment to a government regulation, with which the Education Ministry plans to expand the range of exams that can be submitted by applicants for permanent residence as proof of their knowledge of Czech. This is due to emerging evidence that some applicants have taken exams for a higher level of language proficiency than required.
The proposal to end the vouchers is based on the need created by the influx of refugees from Ukraine, as well as the high demand for the exam from applicants who came to the Czech Republic under the highly skilled worker scheme. The latter scheme was introduced seven years ago, and the first arrivals are now eligible to apply for permanent residence. The Interior Ministry estimates that the number of applications for permanent residence in the Czech Republic will reach 30,000 this year, while in 2020, about 2,500 applicants took the exam.
Based on the draft, applicants are more interested in the A2 level Czech language exam than in the required A1 level. Requests from foreigners for recognition of other standardised exams are also increasing.
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