Czechs will continue to travel without visas

Czechs will continue to travel to Canada without visa, informed the Czech Embassy in Ottawa, after a meeting between the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Czech Human Rights and Minorities Minister Dzamila Stehlikova.

Czechs will continue to travel to Canada without visa, informed the Czech Embassy in Ottawa, after a meeting between the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Czech Human Rights and Minorities Minister Dzamila Stehlikova.

The embassy said that Stehlikova presented the integration programs for the Czech Romany community to the Canadian representatives. The possible reintroduction of visas was discussed as a result of the growing number of Czech Romany asylum seekers. Romanies say that they have to leave their homeland due to racism and the violation of human rights.

But according to Czech government representatives, it is the financial motives and the advantageous conditions that are offered by Canada to asylum seekers that is the main reason for the resettlement. Representatives say that the Romany emigrants promote a false picture of the Czech Republic by labeling it as a country in which Romanies are persecuted. However, the leaders of the Romany community do not agree with the view.

There has been a permanent increase in the influx of the Romany asylum seekers since the lifting of Canadian visas for Czechs in November 2007.

Between November 2007 and July 2008, more than 4666 Czech Romanies applied for asylum in Canada. Stehlikova said in September that Canada is likely to introduce the visas in the number of asylum seekers exceeded 500.

In April 1996, Canada lifted visas for Czechs, but re-imposed the visa regime in October 1997 due to a wave of Czech Romany migrants.

Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean is to visit the Czech Republic in November in order to get familiar with the situation of Czech Romanies, their traditions and their culture.