Prague - The first foreigners who want to apply for permanent residency in the Czech Republic can do the Czech language test in less than a month. As of next year, passing the test will be a necessary condition for all who want to settle down in the country.
To show the applicants what the test will be like, the Education Ministry has launched a new website, Čeština pro cizince, which also comprises an English version.
The website tells foreigners how to get ready for the exam and offers samples of the tests that will give the foreigners an idea about their knowledge and suggest whether they would pass the test.
People applying for permanent residency will have to understand a weather forecast, ads and information on a doctor's door, and be able to fill in a form to make a complaint in a shop.
Officially, foreigners applying for permanent residency in the Czech Republic must pass the basic communication level labelled A1, which comprises listening, reading, oral interaction, and speaking and writing.
Pictures to help
In the written part, the foreigner will for instance choose an answer to a question based on common signs: "Opravy bot na počkání! Do druhého dne: sleva 5 %," says the text. The applicant will choose a yes/no response to the statement: "V rychloopravně opraví boty hned."
In another part, foreigners are asked to place sentences with pictures. For instance, with the picture of a boy riding a bike, they can choose between "Kluk jede autem" and "Kluk jede na kole". Then they form questions with adverbs, describe a picture and listen to a short text.
To pass the written part, the applicant must handle at least 60% of tasks in each subsection.
"The oral part of the A1 test takes 10 minutes without preparation. It consists of three subsections," says an introduction to the model test. Applicants for permanent residency can get ready for at least the first two tasks in advance quite easily.
Describe the place you live
In the oral part, applicants are asked to introduce themselves, to describe a friend and the place they live. The last part is well-known to anyone who has passed A levels in a foreign language: The foreigners draw one of 15 topics on which they speak. Just like in the written part, they can lean on pictures.
Foreigners will be able to pass the exam at one of the selected language schools as of 1 September. The schools will announce the dates based on interest from applicants. The tests will be distributed centrally, which means there should be no surprises.
"The primary concern is that foreigners should not wait too long to be tested," said Kateřina Böhmová, spokeswoman for the Education Ministry, adding there would be no centrally fixed dates.
Although the required level of Czech is basic, the coordination of the exam will take place in this language. "Instruction about the test will be brief," said Böhmová.
The state pays for the first attempt to pass the test on the basis of a voucher issued by the Interior Ministry. Those who pass their first test do not pay anything. The vouchers will be available at the ministry from September. The number of attempts is not limited, but each of the next rounds will cost the applicant CZK 1,500. It is also possible to repeat the test at another school.
The duty to pass the test does not concern the citizens of EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland or their family members.
Adapted and republished by Prague Daily Monitor.
