Canada not to reintroduce visas for Czechs

Ottawa/Washington, Nov 20 (CTK) - Czechs will continue to travel to Canada without visas, the Czech Embassy in Ottawa told CTK after a meeting between Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Czech Human Rights and Minorities Minister Dzamila Stehlikova.

Stehlikova presented the integration programmes for the Czech Romany community to the Canadian representatives, the embassy said.

The possible reintroduction of the visas was discussed in reaction to the growing number of Czech Romany asylum seekers.

Romanies say they want to leave their homeland because of racism and the violation of human rights.

But Czech government representatives point to financial motives and the advantageous conditions that Canada offers to asylum seekers as the main reason for the resettlement. They say Romany emigrants promote a false picture of the Czech Republic, labelling it a country in which Romanies are persecuted. Leaders of the Romany community dismiss this view.

The Czech government's press release on Stehlikova's Canadian visit says she will ensure a better information supply to Czech citizens on how to legally gain work and stay in Canada after her return to the Czech Republic.

"This very open country offers several hundreds of thousands of jobs to foreign state citizens every year, and therefore it is not necessary to abuse the status of political refugee if someone wants to live and work in Canada," the press release says.

The influx of Romany asylum seekers has been permanently increasing since the lifting of Canadian visas for Czechs in November 2007.

Some 466 Czech Romanies applied for asylum from November 2007 to July 2008.

Stehlikova said in September that Canada might reintroduce the visas if the number of immigrants exceeded 500.

Canada lifted visas for Czechs already in April 1996, but in October 1997 it reimposed the visa regime due to a wave of Czech Romany migrants.

Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean is to visit the Czech Republic in late November to get acquainted with the situation of Czech Romanies, their traditions and culture.