Kristina VankovaOver 200,000 Ukrainian refugees have left the Czech Republic since the beginning of the Russian aggression in February 2022, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Vít Rakušan (STAN). The Czech Republic has seen a total of 561,605 Ukrainian refugees apply for temporary protection since the conflict’s onset. As of October 1, 358,740 individuals had physically submitted applications for temporary protection within the country, indicating that more than 200,000 refugees have chosen to leave the Czech Republic during the conflict, either heading to other EU member states or returning to Ukraine.
Rakušan revealed that nearly 360,000 refugees have registered with the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy, providing essential information. However, those who failed to visit the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy in person by the end of September lost their temporary protection status in the Czech Republic. Approximately 14,500 fewer people than expected turned up for in-person registration, likely indicating that these refugees have returned to Ukraine or traveled to other Schengen area member states.
Among the registered Ukrainians, around 115,000 are legally employed, with this number steadily increasing. Rakušan pointed out that these legally employed Ukrainians are projected to contribute approximately CZK 12 to 15 billion in levies to the Czech state budget for the current year, which will ultimately benefit the country. The deputy prime minister expressed optimism that Ukrainian refugees could help alleviate the long-term labor shortage in the Czech Republic.
For more information, you can read the original article on Prague Morning.
