By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA
MANILA — The population of Filipinos with long-term work visas in the Czech Republic has increased by 43 percent since the introduction of the Philippine Regime for Migrant Workers project, the Philippine Embassy in Prague said.
The initiative, introduced by the Czech government in 2018, seeks to fast-track the work visas for 1,000 Filipinos per year.
Based on the Czech Ministry of Interior’s database, the number of Filipinos with long-term visas increased by 453 persons from 1,059 in 2017 to 1,512 in 2018.
Since the project’s launch, the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) has received 423 applications for admission.
“This year, from January to mid-February, there were already 119 applications received by MIT,” the Embassy said in a report posted on its official page last February 19.
Philippine Ambassador to Prague Ombra Jainal is optimistic the increase would be sustained, as the Czech Republic has been “an increasingly attractive destination for Filipino workers for its quality of life, safety and high-labor standards.”
“With the commencement of the Regime Philippines, the Embassy believes that the number of Filipinos in the Czech Republic will continue to grow and it is necessary for the Embassy to oversee the growing concerns of labor-related issues that it currently addresses,” Jainal added.
The demand for Filipino migrant workers comes from the manufacturing and automotive industry in the European country.
Majority of the positions that are filled under the Philippine Regime Project are industrial truck operators, electrical and electronic equipment assemblers, mechanical machinery assemblers, electronics and telecommunication technology installers and repairers, among others.
Citing a Czech official from the MIT, the Embassy said the project is “going well” and that the “project has a positive impact on the business environment” in the said European country.
