Information Center
CPIC Opening Hours:
Monday 12:00 – 18:00
Tuesday closed for public (field work)
Wednesday 12:00 – 18:00
Thursday 8:00 – 12:00
Friday 8:00 – 12:00
During Opening Hours clients can be informed about the Center’s services (see below) which they can use immediately within given hours (social counselling, legal counselling), or they can apply for a specific course (Czech language, sociocultural courses).
Clients can also use the Internet workstation as a source of information for, let’s say search for jobs, accommodation, etc.
Part of the workplace is a library with Czech and foreign language books and periodicals, and Czech language newspapers.
Adaptation and Integration courses
Adaptation and Integration Courses
Every foreign national who, as of the 1st of January 2021, is issued a long-term residence permit for the territory of the Czech Republic, and also every foreign national who is issued a permanent residence permit after this date without the precondition of previous authorised stay in the territory is obliged to attend the adaptation and integration course within one year of the date of collecting the residence permit.
This is a course during which foreign nationals will be acquainted with the rights and obligations connected with their stay in the territory of the Czech Republic, with the fundamental values of the Czech Republic, with everyday life, culture and customs prevailing in the Czech Republic. Course participants will also be provided information on organisations and institutions that provide advisory services to foreign nationals free of charge.
The obligation to take the adaptation and integration course applies to every foreign national who has been issued a long-term residence permit for the territory pursuant to § 42 or § 45 of Act No. 326/1999 Coll., on the Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Czech Republic and on amendment to certain acts, as amended, and also applies to every foreign national who is issued a permanent residence permit for the territory pursuant to § 66 or § 67 of this Act.
Specifically, the course must be taken and completed by every foreign national with:
– a long-term residence permit for the territory,
– a long-term residence permit for the territory due to a change in purpose of stay,
– a permanent residence permit for the territory for humanitarian reasons, specifically for a foreign national who is the spouse of an asylee, whose marriage took place before the asylee entered the territory; for an asylee’s minor child or a child dependent on the care of an asylee if that child has not applied for asylum; or for a foreign national who was a citizen of the Czech Republic in the past;
– a permanent residence permit for the territory for reasons worthy of special consideration,
– a permanent residence permit for the territory, if the foreign national’s stay is in the national interest of the Czech Republic;
– a permanent residence permit for the territory for the child of a foreign national who holds a permanent residence permit for the territory of the Czech Republic and if the reason for the application is family unification of such foreign nationals in the territory,
– a permanent residence permit for the territory after the cancellation of a previous permanent residence permit due to the former holder spending an uninterrupted period of six years outside the territory of the Czech Republic, or due to the former holder spending an uninterrupted period of twelve months outside the territory of the European Union;
– a permanent residence permit after 4 years of an uninterrupted stay in the territory, in case of a foreign national residing in the territory after the completion of international protection proceedings.
Foreign nationals who have already taken this course or who have been issued a long-term residence permit or a permanent residence permit pursuant to § 66 or § 67 before the 1st of January 2021 are not obliged to take the adaptation and integration course, under condition that the permit was valid as of the 1st of January 2021.
The obligation to attend the adaptation and integration course does not apply also to foreign nationals residing in the territory of the Czech Republic on the basis of:
- a long-term residence permit for the purpose of study (residence purpose code “21”, “22”, “23” and “30”),
- a long-term residence permit for the purpose of protection in the territory (residence purpose code “88”),
- a long-term residence permit for the purpose of investment (residence purpose code “78”),
- a long-term residence permit issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic,
- an intra-company employee transfer card (residence purpose code “79”),
- an European Union Member State intra-company employee transfer card (residence purpose code “80”).
The obligation to take the adaptation and integration course furthermore does not apply to foreign nationals under 15 years of age on the date of legal effect of the decision to issue their residence permit, or to foreign nationals 61 years of age or over on that date. Nor will holders of employee cards and blue cards issued under the Highly Qualified Employee and Key and Scientific Personnel governmental programmes be required to take adaptation and integration courses.
The obligation to take the adaptation and integration course does not apply to European Union citizens and their family members
A foreign nationals to whom the obligation to take the adaptation and integration course applies must take this course within one year of the date of collecting their residence permit, respectively, within one year of the date of legal effect of the decision to issue their residence permit.
Adaptation and integration courses are administered solely by Centres for Support of Integration of Foreign Nationals. There are 18 such centres in the Czech Republic and it is up to the foreign national to choose which centre to take the course at. The course may be also organised by a different legal entity cooperating with a Centre for Support of Integration of Foreign Nationals.
Taking a course that is neither directly organised nor administered by a Foreign National Integration Support Centre established pursuant to § 155a of Act No. 326/1999 Coll., on the Residence of Foreign Nationals in the Czech Republic and on amendment to certain acts, as amended, will not be recognised as fulfilment of the obligation.
The course is taught by a qualified lecturer, in the Czech language. The course content is interpreted into English, French, Mongolian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Ukrainian or Vietnamese by a qualified interpreter.
Adaptation and integration courses are divided into courses intended for the public and courses not intended for the public. Courses intended for the public may be attended by every foreign national who:
1. Registers via the portal https://frs.gov.cz
2. Pays the fee of CZK 1,500 and receives confirmation of payment
3. Enrols for a specific course and receives an e-mail confirmation of this fact
Courses not intended for the public take place on the basis of orders from legal entities in cooperation with a particular Foreign National Integration Support Centre. Again this requires registration via the portal https://frs.gov.cz – then the necessary steps involving payment, organisation and course attendance of foreign nationals are organised by the legal entity itself.
The payment for public course is CZK 1500 paid directly to the state. For the course not meant for the public the payment is CZK 800 (in this case, the payment to state is done by legal entity and not the foreigner himself/herself).
After the registration to a public course at the portal https://frs.gov.cz/ a variable symbol will be generated. The payment can be then done either by a bank transfer or a postal order. If the foreign national does not quote the variable symbol during payment, the payment will not be acknowledged.
For a course not intended for the public, the payment for all those attending is made collectively by the legal entity that requested the course to be held and it will contact the participants directly.
Adaptation and integration course takes 4 hours.
The foreigner must arrive at the venue on the day of the course, show the residence permit (ePKP) and confirm his/her participation by signature on the attendance list.
Foreigner must be present for the entire course. The course is not concluded by any exam or test.
The foreigner will receive a certificate confirming completion of the course.
If you fail to complete the obligation to attend adaptation and integration course within one year of the date of collecting the residence permit, it is considered as an offence for which you may be fined up to CZK 10,000.
For the public courses, information about the type of course, date, place and the language to which the course is going to be translated to will be available in the registration system after the payment is completed. For the courses not meant for public information will be provided by the legal entity.
The Ministry of Interior web pages.
Welcome to the Czech Republic web pages: http://www.vitejtevcr.cz/en/
Social Counselling
Professional social counselling is provided by social workers of individual Centers under Act 108/2006 Coll., on social services. It is conducted in an outpatient or field form for FREE.
The aim of social counselling in Centers for Support of Integration of Foreigners is to help people of the target group in solving their dire social situation, or getting to understand the systems valid in the Czech Republic.
Our Vision:
“Mutually functioning, respectful, and open coexistence of foreigners and mainstream society.”
Mission
The mission of the Centers is, following the government document „Concept of Integration of Foreigners “, to create the space for a long term and conceptual support of integration of foreigners by providing services – professional social counselling, legal counselling, Czech language and sociocultural course, and other activities.
The aim of professional social counselling is the assistance and support to foreigners who have problems to understand the environment and systems of the Czech Republic.
Our Vision:
“Mutually functioning, respectful, and open coexistence of foreigners and mainstream society.”
Mission
The mission of the Centers is, following the government document „Concept of Integration of Foreigners “, to create the space for a long term and conceptual support of integration of foreigners by providing services – professional social counselling, legal counselling, Czech language and sociocultural course, and other activities.
The aim of professional social counselling is the assistance and support to foreigners who have problems to understand the environment and systems of the Czech Republic.
In view of the changing situation in each region, the head of the Center, in cooperation with his respective colleagues, sets new operation goals every year. These goals are recorded in a special document and are approved by the Head of the Section of Centers for Support of Integration of Foreigners.
In the Center form of social counselling can provide the clients especially with the following assistance:
• in finding accommodation
• social assistance and allowances
• health care and health insurance
• housing
• labor market
• education
• solving issues related to – birth of a baby, marriage, death in the family
• filling in forms, escort to agencies and bureaus if needed
This counselling is conducted in the Center proper in the regional city (addresses are available at individual Centers), or in other contact places (details are available at the Centers).
Professional social counselling is provided
Monday and Wednesday 12:00 – 18:00
Thursday and Friday 8:00 – 12:00
Capacity of In the Center Counselling:
Number of Interventions (30 min. session) – total 582 in all Centers
Specification: 1 Center = 2 clients/1 hour, i.e. 40 clients/week
Field professional counselling can help the clients:
• in their natural environment (in the place of residence, at work, at school)
• in dealing with official places and institutions, at the doctor’s, at school …
• to better understand the Czech environment – legislation, customs, regulations
• in applying your rights and interests
Field Professional Social Counselling:
Wednesday 9:00 – 11:00, and other days on demand.
Capacity of Field Counselling:
Number of Interventions (30 min. session) – 57 for all Centers
Specification: 1 Center = 1 client/1 hour
Third country nationals (i.e. non-EU countries) legally staying in the Czech Republic, who have:
– permission for long term stay;
– permission for permanent stay;
– long term visa;
– permission for temporary stay of a family member, EU citizen;
or are
– in the process of granting a visa with permission to stay in CR;
– in the process of granting permission for long term stay;
– in the process of granting permission for permanent stay;
– in the process of granting permission for temporary stay of a family member, EU citizen;
Persons who have been granted international protection (asylees and persons with subsidiary protection).
Services can be rejected for the following reasons:
• The Center does not provide the social service you ask for.
• Social workers do not have the capacity to provide social services you ask for.
• You do not belong to the target group for which the service is designed.
• In the past six months your contract on providing the same service was cancelled due to the violation of duties ensuing from the contract.
• Person interested in the provision of the service violates common rules of decency with his/her behaviour and/or ways of communication and/or conduct.
Centers
• no charges;
• individual approach;
• cooperation;
• equality and respect;
• discretion;
• safety;
• freedom;
You can contact a social worker in the Center yourself, for instance by telephone call, email, or in person. You can be contacted by the Center’s worker – a field worker, or a third person can mediate a contact to the service (a different institution, a person you know etc.)
In the first contact with the service you can expect:
- A short interview with the social worker where you will learn what you can expect from the service, what problem you have, or what you want to change. Together with the social worker you will define what you want to achieve and how.
• If you need an interpreter during the interview, we can provide him/her for free.
• You will be acquainted with the Rules of Providing Services (see below).
• If your requests and expectations are in compliance with the activities and possibilities of the service, we can conclude an oral or written contract on providing the service; for the contract to be concluded we need some of your personal data but if you do not want to give the data, we can provide the service anonymously.
The Center’s services are provided to you based on set rules. These rules outline your rights and duties, principles of the Center’s work, and other basic information on provided services.
Social service is always provided under the contract which is mostly concluded orally. It must be concluded in a written form, if at least one contracting party proposes this form during negotiations about the conclusion of the contract.
The contract protects both parties concerned – it sets precise conditions of the provided service, the rights and duties for both parties, and the goals the service should meet. The contract is concluded under § 91 of Act 108/2006, Coll., on social services. All obligations ensuing from the contract are legally binding for both parties concerned.
If you are a member of the target group you have the right to use the service of a professional social worker for free in the time scope set by the Center and according to personal possibilities of the provider.
You have the right for respect of your human dignity, human rights and fundamental liberties. You have the right to consult the scope and quality of the provided service and all changes which can have an impact on provided services.
As a user of the service you must respect human dignity of other users and clients of the service, as well as the Center and its workers, respect human rights and fundamental liberties of all persons entering the process of providing social services, mutual contacts and relations.
The contract can be seen here.
Every person who is in contact with the service has the possibility to file a complaint against the service or the Center’s workers. Complaints can be filed anonymously, and it has no impact on the course of providing the service.
The exact procedure to file a complaint can be found here …
Refugee Facilities Administration MOI
PhDr. Jiří Vesecký, Ph.D.
Head of Department of Centers for Support of Integration of Foreigners
Lhotecká 7
143 01 Praha 12
Tel: +420 974 827 118
Email: jvesecky@suz.cz
www.integracnicentra.cz
Refugee Facilities Administration MOI
Mgr. et Mgr. Pavel Bacík
Director
Lhotecká 7
143 01 Praha 12
Tel: +420 974 827 118
Email: podatelna@suz.cz
www.suz.cz
Amnesty International
Gorazdova 10
120 00 Praha 2
Tel: +420 607 023 305
Email: mark.martin@amnesty.cz
www.amnesty.cz
Public Defender of Rights
Údolní 39
602 00 Brno
• Info Line: (+420) 542 542 888
• Email: podatelna@ochrance.cz
www.ochrance.cz
Legal Counselling
Specific hours in the Center are reserved for a lawyer. The most frequent issues include:
• residential and visa issues
• employment relations
• family law
• health care and health insurance
• debt problems
Hours when a lawyer is available at a concrete workplace can be found on the tab page of a concrete CPIC on these web pages. We recommend you to book the hour of consultation over the phone or via email. You will thus avoid possible waiting. You can also use interpreting services or the services of community workers during legal counselling.
Legal counselling is provided by contracting partners selected in public tenders.
Psychosocial counselling
During designated hours, a worker is present in the centre to provide psychosocial counselling for clients who:
Have been affected by the war
Have lost their relatives or are worried about their loved ones
Need psychological stabilisation in a difficult life situation
Want to adapt in a new environment
The hours during which a worker is present at a particular workplace can always be found in the specific CPIC’s tab on this website. We recommend booking a consultation in person, by email or by phone to avoid any waiting.
It is possible to use the services of interpreters or community workers during the session.
This activity is funded by the UNICEF project
Czech Language Courses
Czech language courses are divided into elementary courses which can be attended on a one-time basis and without prior subscription, and intensive courses which are designed for a long time Czech language education.
In justified cases, especially as regards vulnerable groups of clients, it is possible to organize an individual or specialized course.
Elementary Course
• the course can be attended on a one-time basis
• you do not have to subscribe to the course
• the course is conceived as a set of thematic, individual lessons
• lessons are practically oriented, aimed at mastering everyday situations
Intensive Course
• individual lessons are interconnected, regular attendance is compulsory
• number of places is limited, it is necessary to subscribe in the course in advance
• courses are divided according to the level of knowledge, starting from the beginners to the level corresponding with B1
• mastering individual levels is divided into 40-hour tuition blocs
Specialized Czech Language Courses for Children
• designed for children, pupils and students, or parents with children
Thematic Specialized Czech Language Courses
• courses are conceived to increase the chance of the target group to find jobs (for instance course for nurses, course for technical professions, course cultivating writing skills etc.)
All Czech language courses are provided through contracting partners selected in public tenders.
Clients attending the courses get textbooks for free.
Czech language courses are primarily held in cities where the Centers for Support of Integration of Foreigners are located; these courses can be opened in other places of the region if there is enough interest on the part of clients.
Sociocultural Courses
Sociocultural courses provide the clients with the knowledge and skills that are useful and typical for life in the Czech Republic; they include information about the rights and obligations as well as orientation in current everyday situations.
The courses include the following themes:
facts and figures about the Czech Republic (it is a series of four courses about the system of government, geography and history of the Czech Republic, which are needed for mastering the exam in Czech facts and figures in order to obtain Czech citizenship), financial literacy, essentials for permanent stay, citizenship, legal employment, pension and social insurance, health insurance, Czech language exam, first aid, Czech holidays etc.
Lecturers of sociocultural courses are experts in their specific fields, selected from partner organizations, or contracting partners, or employees of the Center
Cooperation with Communities
We endeavor to engage members of foreign communities in integration activities. We offer cooperation to selected integrated members of communities in providing assisting services to foreigners, social interpreting, mediating easier access to individual communities, and disseminating information material within the field work program, or in organizing educational social events for mainstream society.
We also support social or educational activities conducted by foreigners themselves inside the Centers. In this way we boost the community spirit of the Center as a suitable place for less formal meetings of foreigners with mainstream community, and it also raises bigger interest in our services especially among young foreigners.
Activities for General Public
The Centers prepare educational, cultural, and sports events in order to show and introduce cultural and social specifics of foreigners to local citizens in regions where these different cultures meet. The aim of these events is to improve mutual information and coexistence and promote the development of relations between the majority society and foreigners.