The 4th CEENOM Meeting,

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• The 4th CEENOM Meeting,
• October 27-29,
• Suzdal, Russia

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• Illegal/Irregular Immigrants and Their Economic
  Activities in the Czech Republic (Preliminary
  Results of a Qualitative Research)
• Dušan Drbohlav
• Zdenek Cermák
• Dagmar Dzúrová
• Eva Janská
• Dita Cermáková
• Lenka Lachmanová
• Department of Social Geography and Regional
  Development, Faculty of Science,
• Charles University in Prague
• drbohlav_at_natur.cuni.cz

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RESEARCH PROJECT International Migration and
Migrants Illegal/Irregular Activities The Czech
Republic in a Broader European Context

• Dušan Drbohlav
• (leader of the team)
• Zdenek Cermák
• Dagmar Dzúrová
• Eva Janská
• Dita Cermáková
• Lenka Lachmanová

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Main goals of the project

• To map migrants illegal/irregular/quasi-legal
  activities
• To penetrate their migration motives
• To follow their transit to and living conditions
  in the new country
• To analyse their relationship to their mother
  country
• To find out what their future behavioural
  stategies are
• To analyse changes after the enlargement of the
  EU
• To ascertain migrants impact upon society and
  vice versa to measure how effective - in
  migration field - regulatory measures are
• To compare results among the Czech Republic,
  Austria and Humgary
• Project sponsored by the Ministry of Labour and
  Social Affairs Project
• Program Modern Society and Its Changes No.
  1J/PR/03327
• more information www.geography.cz/illegal.htm

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Testing theories and concepts

• Push-pull
• Neoclassical economic theory
• Dual labour market theory
• Network theory
• Institutional theory
• Transnationalism

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Time schedule 2005, methods

• 1) Expert interview (N30)
• Delphi survey (N30)
• Questionnaire survey
• Illegal/irregular migrants from (N100)
• A) Post-Soviet area (European part),
• B) Vietnam, China,
• C) the USA, Canada
• Both quantitative and qualitative approaches

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What is your current job, specialization and
position? What role do you and your institution
play in relation to illegal/irregular migration
and related issues?

• Altogether 22 interviewees
• WORK for
• 7 NOGs
• 7 GOs
• 6 academic sphere
• 2 ethnic associations
• SPECIALIZATION
• mostly humanities - law and sociology
• Illegal/irregular migrants are often not a direct
  target group (except for respondents from IOM)
  mainly legal counselling, humanitarian aid
• Some respondents cover the whole issue of
  illegal/irregular migration, some only some
  segments (e.g. grey economy, businessman,
  individual ethnic groups Ukrainians,
  Vietnamese)

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How would you define illegal or quasi-legal
migrants economic activities in the CR while
taking into account a difference employees
vis-a-vis small businessman?

• It has to do with - breaking a law, legislative
  rules
• Different views
• a) Quasi-legal does not exist either legal or
  illegal
• b) quasi-legal it is legal but not in harmony
  with what legislators thought
• c) Irregular better term than illegal more
  general illegal migrants have no rights to stay
  in the country
• d) Illegal work employees responsibility
  versus illegal employment employers
  responsibility
• e) illegal migration it is not only breaking
  rules concerning a stay and work but it is also
  tied to organized mafia-like structures.
• Reality in the CR it is often difficult to
  distinguish whether you act in line with a law or
  against it!

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What are main types and forms of migrants
illegal/irregular economic activities in the CR?

• 1) Work without residence and work permits and
  without any work contract (probably the most
  typical construction, auxiliary work, cleaning
  etc. )
• 2) With a residence permit and a trade license
  however, hidden employment they work as
  typical employees
• 3) They come under the umbrella of a tourist
  visa, they work and they often stay after they
  visa have expired
• 4) Asylum seekers who start working immediately
  after their asylum application has been submitted
  
• 5) Not fullfiling the main purpose for a stay,
  e.g. while proclaiming family reunification or
  study, they occasionally work (services,
  translations etc.)
• 6) Tourists who come within a free visa regime
  (some western migrants) and work also often for a
  long-term period

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What are main types and forms of migrants
illegal/irregular economic activities in the CR?

• Via establishing public trading and limited
  liability companies, foreign business persons
  legally operate and function only as employees.
• Pretending services (making use of the EU rules)
  an entrepreneur who is registered in one of the
  member states has a right to provide services in
  other MS (e.g. misused by Poles in the CR).
• Different time horizons
• 1) Those who want to stay for ever
• 2) Those who stay for a long time while keeping
  intensive ties with their country of origin
• 3) Those who stay for a short time (1-2 months)
• Other typical features
• a) client system,
• b) flexibility (shifts among economic
  sectors/branches, occupations and regions)

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Basic personal characteristics of
illegal/irregular migrants in the CR

• Country of origin countries of the former Soviet
  Union Ukraine, Moldova, Belorussia, Bulgaria,
  Albania, countries of the former Yugoslavia,
  Poland, Afghanistan, Vietnam China, the USA
• Specialization (niche) Ukrainians auxiliary
  works in construction, Vietnamese retail
  (cheap goods), Western immigrants services
  (translations, leading various courses etc.)
• Sex Males slightly dominate over females
• Education Ukraine mostly secondary education,
  however, it does not correspond to what is a
  standard in Western and Central European
  countries
• Family status all possible categories involved,
  if children than left at home

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How do migrants illegal/irregular economic
activities in the CR differ from those performed
by citizens of the country?

• Sanctions for migrants are stricter, much more
  hit a given person, no base in a host country
• Migrants are discriminated (work, salaries,
  working conditions, relations ) activities are
  well organized - clients/agencies takeover some
  of the responsibilities
• Often mafia-like structures and organized crime
  involved

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In which sectors/branches, occupations, companies
and regions do illegal/irregular migrants mostly
operate?

• Branches - construction, agriculture and
  forestry, services (including domestic ones)
• Occupations bricklayers, chambermaids,
  auxilliary works, manual/low skilled activities
• All types of companies involved from small
  (direct contact) to big ones (via
  (subcontracting)
• Big cities and western part of the country

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What are the most important positive aspects
related to migrants illegal/irregular economic
activities?

• The CR needs such work fullfiling gaps on the
  Czech labour market (Czechs are not interested
  3D, some professions are missing)
• They importantly contribute to the Czech welfare
  (various impacts )
• Due to migrants flexibility the ecomomy as such
  is more efficient
• Entrepreneurs especially gain they save money
  pay low wages, do not pay taxes and insurance
• Migrants good quality (?) but mainly not long
  lasting work, cheap laborforce
• Migrants put no burden on the social system
• Society is enriched through a communication with
  different cultures

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What are the most important negative aspects
related to migrants illegal/irregular economic
activities?

• Democracy is undermined
• Hidden criminal (mafia-like) structures are being
  created
• Corruption is flourishing (police, state
  officials, customs officers)
• Bad image put on all migrants (including legal
  ones)
• Possible impacts upon international relations (CR
  vis-a-vis Ukraine)
• They do not pay taxes (except VAT) and
  custom-duty (huge import)
• It contributes to separation/segregation trends
  (Vietnamese)
• They harm Czech entrepreneurs who stick to given
  laws/rules
• Czechs lose some of the working opportunities
• In the case of a personal accident or casualty
  huge expenses on the side of the CR
• Loss of migrants potential human capital

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What are the most important negative aspects
related to migrants illegal/irregular economic
activities?

• Concerning migrants
• No legal protection
• Discrimination
• No access to social and health insurences
• Small possibility to make use of their own human
  capital
• Problems for legal migrants since employers got
  used to employ illegal/irregular migrants

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How were migrants illegal/irregular economic
activities seen during the last 15 years?

• 1990-1997 - Very liberal policy without installed
  controling mechanisms doors opened
• The state knew about the problem but more or less
  ignored the issue at that time there were many
  other problems on the agenda
• New escalation of the issue related to more
  restrictive new migratory legislation in
  1999/2000
• The state combats illegal migration (basic policy
  principles 2003, Interministerial Body, Action
  Plan 2004)
• Now - some say it is better due to an impact of
  the EU - more restrictions (controls), but also
  somewhere more liberal regime
• Some say it is worse nobody cares about
  that . The issue is not very much discussed and
  publicized, some exceptions 2004-2005

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How is paying attention to migrants
illegal/irregular economic activities related to
a more general development?

• Migrants change their behavioral strategies in
  relation to changing legislation
• More restrictive approaches (and related huge
  administration/paperwork) lead to increasing
  illegal/irregular activities
• When the economy is booming (demand for a
  laborforce is growing) - migrants
  illegal/irregular economic activities are more
  tolerated, when the economy is stagnating
  migrantsscapegoats .. not yet in the CR!
• Brutal criminality tied to migrants, to large
  extent, disappeared
• Czechs do not accept populists in this field too
  much

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Are there any new forms/features regarding
migrants illegal/irregular economic activities
after the enlargement of the EU on May 1,2004?

• System of migrants illegal/irregular economic
  activities imported to the EU (flexible models)
  e.g a client system
• On the other hand, the EU legislation has an
  impact upon the national one mandatory
  harmonization
• Pretended providing services (based on the EU
  regulation)
• The Dublin II Agreement smaller room for
  migrants to operate in, pull for
  illegal/irregular status of migrants in CEEc
• Probably more intensively influenced by joining
  the Schengen Agreement (in a fall 2007?)

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How many illegal/irregular migrants do stay and
work in the CR? Has that number changed over the
last five years? What sources are your
assessments based on?

• It was a very difficult question one half of
  the respondents did not dare to answer
• Estimates varies between 40,000 and 200,000
• Slightly more respondents voted for increasing
  numbers over time (7) as compared to decreasing
  (5), 6 expressed that the numbers are stabilized
• Changes in forms over time from
  illegal/irregular to quasi-legal, from employment
  to running business
• Assessments based on respondents own experience,
  literature, statistics/data (e.g. Alien and
  Border Police), Ukrainian Embassy in the CR

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What is migrants health care like? How do they
solve health problems in the CR

• It depends on clients but also on an individual
  ethnic group
• Vietnamese are not insured, when having problems
  they go to see his/her ethnic doctor
• After meeting with an accident, one can
  legalize his/her treatment via paying a
  commercial insurance
• After meeting with an accident, they immediately
  leave the country
• After meeting with an accident (and not being
  insured), a client pays for his employee in
  cash in a hospital
• After meeting with an accident (not being insured
  and not having a responsible client) a migrant
  ends up in asylum or detention centres where some
  basic health care service is at persons disposal

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What is migrants housing/accommodation like?

• Conditions depends on how much one wants to
  invest in it also on branches of the economy
  and a type of work (e.g. construction versus
  forestry versus homeworks) and on an ethnic group
  
• Better conditions than 10 years ago -
• more pieces of information
• - However, also very poor conditions do exist
  construction - dorms, huge concentrations of
  people, (20 migrants per 20m2, cellars/underground
  spaces) bad hygienic conditions, a periphery of
  big cities or some central parts of cities
  (Prague)
• Vietnamese often lives with their compatriots
  family members or friends

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What forms of payments for migrants do exist?

• Wages are always lower as compared to Czech
  employees since no taxes are paid
• Payments mosty in cash (in USD) based on
  agreement between a client and a migrant, no
  signed contracts
• Sometime advance payments are paid but a base
  amount will never arrive
• Unqualified/low skilled/manual work about 120-
  80 Czech crowns per hour go to a client, in fact
  a worker has got about 40 Czech crowns (in
  addition, a migrant has to often pay for his/her
  accommodation) sometimes no money are paid,
  sometimes money are stolen from him/her (on a
  border)
• Often a minimal wage plus additional money are
  paid

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For how long do migrants stay and work in the CR?

• Various forms applied individual ethnic groups
  stick to different modes
• - Slovaks circulate monthly (go home for
  social subsidies payments)
• - Ukrainians a short-term circulatory
  movements (several months, problems when a
  tourist visa expires (after 90 days)
• - Vietnamese rather a long-term stay (3 and
  more years) getting into debts
• By branches
• Construction - short-term and mid-term stays
• Industry (automobile, food) - long-term stays

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What sort of discrimination are illegal/irregular
migrants in the CR exposed to?

• Many different forms of discrimination in terms
  of
• - wages (employers, mediators/clients)
• - work load and working conditions (safety,
  hygienic conditions, housing conditions)
• - psychological blackmailing
• - blackmailers Police, officers, compatriots,
• mafia-like structures
• - sexual exploitation women
• - antipathy to foreigners within the majority
  population
• No appeal possible!

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Conclusions

• The existing information on illegal/irregular
  migrants and their activities in the CR is far
  from complete
• The phenomenon of migrants illegal/irregular
  economic activities is an important issue with
  many implications for the whole society
• To large extent, the illegal/irregular migrants
  behave in the CR like in many other developed
  immigration countries
• The phenomenon has shifted in the CR over time
  from more brutal/drastic to more decent forms
  i.e. from illegal to quasi-legal