Overall, 152 out of 169 Afghans brought on evacuation flights two weeks ago to the Czech Republic applied for asylum or subsidiary protection in the country.
Others have a different form of residence in the Czech Republic, the Czech Ministry of the Interior announced on Monday. At the end of the two-week quarantine, the applicants will relocate from the facility managed by the Ministry of Defense to the facility of the Ministry of the Interior.
“The so-called admission procedure is currently underway for evacuees who have applied for international protection. This includes, for example, the administration of the application, medical examinations, or the collection of fingerprints,” said Adam Rözler from the ministry’s press department.
He added that the admission procedure usually takes several days up to a few weeks and that applicants are in closed state facilities during that time.
Asylum and subsidiary protection vary in duration. Asylum is granted indefinitely, while subsidiary protection is granted for a well-defined period, after which the reasons for granting it are re-examined.
The authorities have up to six months to process an application for international protection.
“Applicants have the right to remain in the facility of the Ministry of the Interior during that time. In addition, they may remain in the facilities of the Ministry of the Interior for 12 months after they are granted international protection as part of the integration process. After being granted international protection, applicants can travel from the Czech Republic, provided that they respect the immigration rules of other countries,” the ministry added.
Interior Minister Jan Hamáček said on Monday that most evacuees would envision their future in the Czech Republic because they cooperated with the country in some form.
“They are being interviewed about their future. We have a more or less clear idea of how they imagine their future in terms of their status,” said the minister.
The asylum procedure could be quick because, according to Hamáček’s earlier statement, the circumstances are clear. Then integration procedure, which includes housing and employment, should now start.
After the Taliban took control of most of Afghanistan’s territory, the Czech Republic evacuated 195 people from the country via three flights. Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek said on Friday that Czechia had already evacuated all local interpreters and collaborators, who had been selected by the army and diplomacy authorities.
