The Czech Republic has launched a fresh diplomatic drive in Brussels to renegotiate the European Union’s Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) ahead of its current expiry in March 2027. Speaking on Czech Television on 26 February 2026, Lubomír Metnar, chair of the Chamber of Deputies’ Defence Committee, confirmed that Prague will propose “new, long-term stability mechanisms” for the more than 350,000 Ukrainians who hold temporary-protection status in Czechia. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the TPD has offered displaced Ukrainians across the EU fast-track residence rights, labour-market access and social services without the need for a formal asylum claim. While popular with employers – especially in manufacturing, healthcare and IT – the scheme was designed as an emergency tool and must be unanimously extended by member states. Czech officials say the measure no longer matches labour-market realities: many Ukrainians have settled permanently, learned Czech and filled critical skills gaps, yet they cannot transition easily to standard work or family-reunification visas. Under Prague’s draft, Ukrainians who have held temporary protection for at least 18 months and who meet Czech-language and employment criteria would be able to convert to a four-year renewable residence permit.
![Czech Government Seeks Overhaul of EU Temporary-Protection Rules for Ukrainian Refugees]()
For individuals and companies trying to keep pace with these shifting rules, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Its Czech Republic portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) offers clear, up-to-date guidance on work permits, family-reunification visas and status conversions, and can even liaise with local authorities on your behalf—saving valuable time as the legislation evolves.
That would spare companies repeated paperwork and allow holders to qualify for mortgages and long-term rental contracts. Metnar also wants Brussels to relax the rule that beneficiaries lose protection if they leave the EU for more than 90 days, arguing that regular visits to relatives in Ukraine should not jeopardise their status. For employers, a conversion route could lock in workers who might otherwise leave for higher wages in Germany or Poland when TPD ends. Immigration lawyers, however, caution that the proposal would require changes to both EU directives and Czech legislation, a process that could take 18 months. They advise HR teams to keep renewing existing work contracts and to document employees’ integration achievements (language certificates, tax returns) in anticipation of future eligibility checks. Metnar’s remarks come as the Interior Ministry prepares a separate bill to merge its Alien Police and Asylum/ Migration agencies into a single Immigration Service from 2027 – part of a broader digital-first reform intended to cut residence-permit processing times from the current 270 days to 120 days.
For individuals and companies trying to keep pace with these shifting rules, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Its Czech Republic portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) offers clear, up-to-date guidance on work permits, family-reunification visas and status conversions, and can even liaise with local authorities on your behalf—saving valuable time as the legislation evolves.
That would spare companies repeated paperwork and allow holders to qualify for mortgages and long-term rental contracts. Metnar also wants Brussels to relax the rule that beneficiaries lose protection if they leave the EU for more than 90 days, arguing that regular visits to relatives in Ukraine should not jeopardise their status. For employers, a conversion route could lock in workers who might otherwise leave for higher wages in Germany or Poland when TPD ends. Immigration lawyers, however, caution that the proposal would require changes to both EU directives and Czech legislation, a process that could take 18 months. They advise HR teams to keep renewing existing work contracts and to document employees’ integration achievements (language certificates, tax returns) in anticipation of future eligibility checks. Metnar’s remarks come as the Interior Ministry prepares a separate bill to merge its Alien Police and Asylum/ Migration agencies into a single Immigration Service from 2027 – part of a broader digital-first reform intended to cut residence-permit processing times from the current 270 days to 120 days.
