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new visa law fallout
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Adventurous Midlife



Joined: 18 Jan 2011
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 1:33 pm    Post subject: new visa law fallout Reply with quote

Would love to hear from someone in the know about what the fallout has been with the new visa laws that began Jan 2011. There's been time now to have some sense of the ramifications. Have foreign nationals been able to get work permits and long stay visas within the 90 day tourist stay?

I checked with 2 different visa services in Prague, and they both said it is impossible to get the necessary paperwork completed in the 90 days including applying for a trade license to do freelance work.

Can anyone in Prague shed light on the current situation from their experience as a language school, a newly certified teacher, or an employer?

thanks!
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I cannot speak to the current situation and hope that someone will be along soon who can.

I can say that it's been true in the past that paperwork hasn't been completed within 90 days. Traditionally, so long as it's been properly filed and one is in the system, it's extremely rare to have any problems working/living while waiting for completion. I do not know if that's still the case!!
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sisyphus



Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Posts: 170

PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 10:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I know recently they have started doing random checks on businesses which employ foreigners. You need Health Insurance and Social Insurance here. Believe me it is not easy to get going here, especially in the current climate. lots of language schools especially in Prague have gone bust.
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johnnyappleseed



Joined: 26 Jun 2007
Posts: 89
Location: Vsetin Czech Republic

PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2011 1:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We are currently in the process of selecting native speakers. Due to our geographical location, we are forced to hire via Internet(despite other posts to the contrary, there is not a large pool of native speakers on the ground in the part of the Czech Republic I live in, so we hire from abroad.) Most of our applicants are from North America, which means we will shortly be going through this process.

Thus far it doesn't seem like much has changed from two years ago--we had to call the embassy in Vienna to find this out as the relevant office in our area simply did not know. One thing of note that is significant is that apparently non-EUers are no longer allowed to obtain business licenses(zivnostensky lists) until they've lived here for 2 years.

Another thing that has changed is, whereas before a business was obliged to advertise the position for six weeks in advance at the employment, now the business that wishes to hire a non-European has to go to the office in question and plead their case, which can be rejected or approved at the whim of the office.

Although that doesn't directly affect teachers, rather schools, it's all the information I have at the moment. As we muddle through the new process, I will post here on any changes from 2009-10(which is the last time we had to hire from abroad.)
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Sigma



Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 123

PostPosted: Mon May 02, 2011 6:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Czech Republic postpones duty of biometric data for non-EU foreigners, because there were some 'complications'. They haven't said when everything will be ready to go. It was supposed to be introduced yesterday, and be ready for today.

http://praguemonitor.com/2011/05/02/%C4%8Dr-postpones-duty-biometric-data-non-eu-foreigners
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jhanley2



Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2011 5:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm also curious about the Czech green card as it pertains to TEFL -- from the looks of the green card listings website, there may be some positions available for English teachers that would make one eligible for a green card.

Does anyone know anything about this? It seems like it could be a viable alternative to the long-term visa restrictions in CR, but that could be wishful thinking.

Here's the Ministry of the Interior's description of the green card: http://www.mvcr.cz/mvcren/article/green-cards.aspx?q=Y2hudW09MQ%3d%3d
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johnnyappleseed



Joined: 26 Jun 2007
Posts: 89
Location: Vsetin Czech Republic

PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2011 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the restrictions are basically the same. The chief difference is that with this �green card�, if it is, as I understand it to be, dlouhoudoby pobyt, you have to renew it less often.
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johnnyappleseed



Joined: 26 Jun 2007
Posts: 89
Location: Vsetin Czech Republic

PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2011 9:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is something I learned today: the wait for a long term visa is 3-4 months.
It's possible to apply for a short term visa for 3 months. BUT. If the short-term visa runs out before the long term visa is in effect--it happens sometimes--then the worker obviously is not allowed to work.

There are problems. First of all the short term visa MUST be applied for OUTSIDE of Schengen. the Long term visa can be applied for in Schengen, apparently. But in both cases the worker has to pick up the visa personally(also fairly obvious.)

The solution(for us) is to apply for a short term visa that begins in October and ends in December in the worker's home counttry and then apply for a long-term visa here in Europe in September that starts in January, i.e., 4 months. But it's an annoying development to be sure.
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cks



Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 144

PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So it looks as if I just have to get married if I want to come back to Prague!
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nyaah, you get 90 days without such a drastic step Very Happy
If you want to stay longer, I recommend marraige. Works for me, after all! Cool
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johnnyappleseed



Joined: 26 Jun 2007
Posts: 89
Location: Vsetin Czech Republic

PostPosted: Tue May 17, 2011 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nah, I wouldn't get so discouraged, but the rule I mentioned above is significantly harder than it was in 2009. Obviously there are still possibilities within it.
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johnnyappleseed



Joined: 26 Jun 2007
Posts: 89
Location: Vsetin Czech Republic

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2011 1:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Generally, a long-term visa probably does take about two months. It can take up to four months, though.
And it definitely does sometimes(and there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to the waiting times in these cases.)
It's something to be aware of.
I'm not sure what happens if your visa-free time runs out before your visa is processed. I have no doubt that it does happen from time to time though.

The work permit too can take longer and the process has changed: it's now necessary for schools to go to the relevant office and advocate for the hiring of the non-EU citizen. WE are actually still waiting for the local office(in Zlin) to give us the go-ahead to go there and plead our case. Obviously a school will have done that if someone is arriving here and applying for visa here--otherwise, no visa. But that's the school's responsibility.

But we called very recently and it is possible to get a short-term visa--it's just that it must be applied for in your home country. You can apply for the long-term visa here if you're from the countries listed above.
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Katemarie



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2011 8:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

When I applied for my working visa over two years ago, I did not apply for a short term visa, and I applied for the long term visa on my 89th day of being in the Schengen. But, once I applied, I received a stamp in my passport, stating that my visa was in process, and I think this was enough to keep me legal here. Of course, I didn't do a lot of traveling in the time that my visa was being processed, but I was still able to be here, and make my way back to Bratislava to pick up the visa about two months later.

I think the most important thing is to apply for the visa before your 90 days are up in the Schengen. If you apply after this time, you have a much greater chance of being rejected.

And regarding the work permit, you can apply for the visa with the receipt of the permit, so you don't have to wait an extra month or so for the permit to be processed.
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johnnyappleseed



Joined: 26 Jun 2007
Posts: 89
Location: Vsetin Czech Republic

PostPosted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 5:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The key to your post is '2 years ago.' Hey, when I applied for my first visa, I just crossed the border when the time was up, re-crossed and had another three months.
Things have definitely changed from 2 years ago. However, I am not saying that you are wrong and the same doesn't apply now. I really don't know and it will be some time before I find out.
I'm just saying that I'm not sure I would count on your experience and that people should be very careful before following the advice that I think is implied.
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westbrook1



Joined: 11 Jun 2011
Posts: 45

PostPosted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 6:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Would you advise a new esl teacher to head to Prague these days or is the market so saturated it's not even worth it? (your desire for minimal competition aside, of course Smile)
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