The Slovak Spectator: Slovakia needs migrants

SLOVAKIA needs migrants to meet the needs of its labour market: that was the main message the cabinet sent out by passing its migration strategy for the country for the next decade. And although the document suggests several changes in policy which migrants might welcome, some cabinet members have already made it clear that Slovakia will still expect migrants to “fully integrate”....
...According to the international Migration Integration Policy Index (MIPEX III), in which Slovakia ranked third from bottom among 31 countries, Slovakia now imposes Europe’s longest waiting time before making migrants eligible for citizenship, three years after acquiring a permanent residency permit, while adding that applicants for citizenship must overcome “some of the most subjective and restrictive conditions”.
 The report states that the citizenship procedure in Slovakia is difficult, potentially lengthy (24 months), and is one of the most expensive (€663.50), especially in central Europe. Problems in the area of granting citizenship to foreign nationals became worse after Slovakia’s Citizenship Act was amended in 2007, MIPEX stated...
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