This January, authorities recorded a 37-percent increase in the number of applications by foreigners for residence in Slovakia, said Ladislav Csémi, the head of the Office of the Border and Foreigners’ Police (ÚHCP) of the Slovak Police Presidium, on February 19.
The ÚHCP reported an increase in stays allowed for the territory of Slovakia and ongoing police checks by the Foreigners’ Police.
In January 2018, 12 departments of the Foreigners’ Police received 2,855 more applications for residence in Slovakia compared to beginning 2017, the TASR newswire reported.
Reasons behind the rise
Investing in Slovakia brings about an automatic increased demand in the employment of foreigners, Csémi noted, adding that by the end of 2017 they registered 7,715 approvals for residence in the country. As for nationalities, most of those granted a stay permit were Ukrainians (2,677), followed by Serbs (2,323) and the Vietnamese (659).
“We expect this trend to continue,” Csémi stated, as cited by TASR.
The Foreigners’ Police has been criticised by employers for procrastination and excessive red tape. Csémi expressed hope that the increased number of foreigners’ applications will also mean higher numbers of police officers being assigned for the task, especially in areas where the most applications are filed.
Checks on illegal employment continue
Police have boosted the checking of illegal employment and illegal labour in Slovakia. First deputy of the ÚHCP head, Róbert Gucký, informed about a recent case from Košice, in which 62 illegal foreign workers were discovered February 15 on the construction site of a business centre in Štúrova Street in Košice. 38 were from Moldova and 24 from Ukraine, he specified. They were detained and deported, Gucký told TASR.
The employer will be investigated by the Labour Inspectorate.
Last year, 3,228 people were checked through 340 checks by the Foreigners’ Police and Labour Inspectorate, out of whom 1,773 were foreigners. The ÚHCP cooperates with other state bodies, including the legislative ones, in adapting the legislation to current needs, while respecting the applicable legislation, Csémi summed up.
