Marked rise in number of Czechs seeking asylum in Canada

Some 653 Czech citizens applied for asylum in Canada in the first three months of this year, the Canadian embassy in Prague said on Thursday. That figure is over two thirds the number for the whole of 2008. Nearly three dozen applicants were granted asylum between the start of January and the end of March. Earlier this week, Ottawa asked the Czech government to take steps against what it called unscrupulous mediators who help facilitate the emigration of Czechs, in reaction to a Czech newspaper report that the departures of Czech Romanies for Canada was organised, and had an economic subtext. Ottawa lifted visa requirements for Czechs in 2007, a decade after introducing them following a wave of asylum requests from Czech Romanies.

Author: Ian Willoughby