Czechia to Introduce New Residency Path for High-Income Ukrainian Refugees

Ukrainian refugees who want to stay in Czechia could switch their temporary protection to a special long-term residence permit this year.

However, to do so they would be required to meet specific requirements, among them earning at least €18,480 per year, Schengen.News reports. 

They could obtain a long-term residence permit if:

• They have lived in Czechia for at least two years 
• Have not received humanitarian aid since July 
• Have an annual income of 440,000 CZK gross or more (€18,480) 

According to a report from Adovaktin Denik, for each additional person registered, the amount would increase by 110,000 CZK (€4,400). 

The same notes that this is highlighted in the upcoming government regulation related to the details of registration for the special long-term residence permit. 

By obtaining this permit, refugees could be eligible to apply for permanent residence after five years, like other foreign nationals. Comments in this regard from ministers and other institutions can be submitted until February 18 and then the government will discuss the proposal.

Based on the figures from the Ministry of the Interior, from February 24, 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, until February 9, 2025, a total of 396,700 refugees had temporary protection in Czechia. 

Of them, a total of 96,700 were children, while 17,600 were people over the age of 65. Of the total, 171,000 were women and 111,400 men of working age. 

Czechia Hosting Among Highest Number of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection 
The figures from the European Union statistical office, Eurostat, reveal that in December 2024, nearly 4.3 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine had temporary protection status in the EU. 

The same source revealed that Czechia is among the countries hosting the highest number of Ukrainians under the temporary protection status.

The figures from Eurostat show that compared to the end of 2024 statistics, the total number of persons under temporary protection in the EU at the end of December increased by 25,590 or 0.6 per cent.

Source: https://schengen.news/czechia-to-introduce-new-residency-path-for-high-income-ukrainian-refugees/