ROMA FROM CZECH REPUBLIC CLAIMING REFUGEE STATUS AGAIN

Here we go again.....deja vu...

Canada threatens travel strictures

Move spurred by increase of Czechs seeking refugee status

By Curtis M. Wong
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
July 23rd, 2008 issue

Canadian immigration officials have advised the Czech Republic to curb a recent surge in the number of citizens asking for asylum, or to risk the re-introduction of travel visas. Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Diane Finley met with Czech Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg July 17 to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries, including the recent increase in the number of Czechs applying for refugee status in Canada since late 2007. “The discussion helped both Czech and Canadian parties to better understand each other’s concerns,” said Michael Vlček, public diplomacy officer for the Canadian Embassy. “It also provided an opportunity for the Czech government to reiterate to would-be refugees that there are far more economic opportunities in Europe now, compared with the situation 11 years ago — the time of the first wave of Czech refugee claimants in Canada.” Under pressure from the European Union, Canada removed visa requirements for Czech travelers in October 2007. The requirement had been implemented in 1997 after an earlier removal of the restriction had sent 4,000 asylum-seeking Czechs to the country. Nearly all of them were of Roma, or Gypsy, descent. Between November 2007 and this May, 449 Czechs applied for asylum in Canada, none of whom to date has been granted refugee status. Since May, immigration officials said the total number is thought to have reached 500. At present, Vlček said there are no plans for Canada to re-impose visa requirements on Czechs, provided both countries “recognize the importance of effective information sharing on migration issues ... and cooperate closely to make sure the visa-free regime is maintained.” Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Opletalová said there is no reason to speculate that discrimination against citizens of Roma descent is an issue. The Czech Republic does not have the highest number of asylum seekers in Canada, and the purpose of the meeting, she said, was “to discuss how visa-free travel to Canada works in practice.” Finley and Schwarzenberg also touched on the Czech Republic’s 2007 implementation of the Youth Mobility agreement, which allows students the opportunity to gain work and study experience in Canada