Asylum applications from Ukrainians may be rejected if they already have asylum status in another EU country.

On Friday, the Czech lower house approved a reform of the country’s immigration policy that will allow authorities to monitor the movements and residence of asylum seekers through their mobile phones.

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Aligned with the Migration and Asylum Pact adopted by the European Union in 2024, the reforms will also make it possible to limit abuse of the international protection procedure.

The new legislation provides for the cancellation or non-extension of residence permits for foreign nationals who repeatedly commit serious crimes. It also allows the rejection of asylum requests from Ukrainian refugees if they already have, or previously had, asylum status in another EU country.

The law also stipulates that a foreigner cannot apply for asylum in the Czech Republic if they have previously been expelled from another EU member state.

This provision unifies procedures for denying international protection and decisions regarding the return of a foreign national to their country of origin. In addition, courts will decide whether deportation is appropriate if a foreign national is convicted of a crime.

Authorities will also be able to determine the place of residence for asylum seekers or order them to stay in asylum centers, including the regulation of housing and food standards in those facilities. To carry out this monitoring, police and other authorities will be allowed to use information from refugees’ mobile phones to identify them. Migrants will also be required to undergo new epidemiological screenings.

Although opposition party “Action of Dissatisfied Citizens” (ANO) and the euroskeptic “Freedom and Direct Democracy” (SPD) managed to introduce some amendments to the legislation, they ultimately voted against it due to their opposition to the redistribution of migrants among EU member states.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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