At a bilateral meeting in Berlin late on 25 February, Czech Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar told his German counterpart Alexander Dobrindt that Prague wants the European Union to renegotiate the way temporary protection for people fleeing Russia’s war on Ukraine is applied. The Czech Republic hosts more than 398,000 holders of temporary-protection visas—by far the highest share per capita in the EU—and the inflow continues at roughly 6,000 new arrivals each month. Metnar argues that the one-size-fits-all regime agreed in March 2022 no longer reflects the vastly different labour-market realities across member states and that it risks overstretching social systems in frontline countries such as Czechia. He floated several options, including limiting eligibility by geography (e.g. to people arriving directly from Ukraine), capping the duration of benefits, or linking continued status to employment.
Berlin is sympathetic to burden-sharing but wary of any move that could be seen as restricting protection; Germany itself currently maintains temporary internal border checks with Czechia and other neighbours to stem irregular transit migration. Still, both ministers agreed to put the issue on the agenda of the next Justice and Home Affairs Council in early April.
Why it matters: Multinational employers in Czechia have relied on the temporary-protection framework to hire Ukrainian talent quickly without navigating standard work-permit quotas. Any tightening could slow recruitment pipelines and increase compliance costs. HR teams should monitor EU deliberations and, where possible, convert key Ukrainian staff to long-term economic migration channels such as Employee Cards or the Qualified Employee Programme.
![Czech Interior Minister calls for EU-wide rethink of temporary protection for Ukrainians]()
For organisations and individuals looking to navigate these evolving visa pathways, VisaHQ provides up-to-date guidance and end-to-end support for Czech work permits and other immigration solutions. Their platform streamlines applications and helps ensure compliance—learn more at https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/
Business context: Czechia’s unemployment rate of 2.9 percent is the second-lowest in the EU; automotive, IT and logistics companies report tens of thousands of unfilled positions. The government faces domestic pressure from populist coalition partners to curb overall immigration, yet it recognises the economy’s dependence on foreign labour. Metnar’s Berlin initiative is therefore a balancing act—seeking EU solidarity while signalling to voters that Prague is pressing for limits.
Next steps: The Interior Ministry will circulate a non-paper with concrete reform options to other member states by mid-March. Employers should be ready to provide impact assessments during the Commission’s forthcoming stakeholder consultation. (ceskenoviny.cz)
Berlin is sympathetic to burden-sharing but wary of any move that could be seen as restricting protection; Germany itself currently maintains temporary internal border checks with Czechia and other neighbours to stem irregular transit migration. Still, both ministers agreed to put the issue on the agenda of the next Justice and Home Affairs Council in early April.
Why it matters: Multinational employers in Czechia have relied on the temporary-protection framework to hire Ukrainian talent quickly without navigating standard work-permit quotas. Any tightening could slow recruitment pipelines and increase compliance costs. HR teams should monitor EU deliberations and, where possible, convert key Ukrainian staff to long-term economic migration channels such as Employee Cards or the Qualified Employee Programme.
For organisations and individuals looking to navigate these evolving visa pathways, VisaHQ provides up-to-date guidance and end-to-end support for Czech work permits and other immigration solutions. Their platform streamlines applications and helps ensure compliance—learn more at https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/
Business context: Czechia’s unemployment rate of 2.9 percent is the second-lowest in the EU; automotive, IT and logistics companies report tens of thousands of unfilled positions. The government faces domestic pressure from populist coalition partners to curb overall immigration, yet it recognises the economy’s dependence on foreign labour. Metnar’s Berlin initiative is therefore a balancing act—seeking EU solidarity while signalling to voters that Prague is pressing for limits.
Next steps: The Interior Ministry will circulate a non-paper with concrete reform options to other member states by mid-March. Employers should be ready to provide impact assessments during the Commission’s forthcoming stakeholder consultation. (ceskenoviny.cz)
