IOM MIGRATION INFORMATION CENTRE

We are helping foreigners in Slovakia since 2006

In 15 years, the IOM Migration Information Centre has helped already 53,000 foreigners.

Foreigners arriving in Slovakia most often need help with the first steps in obtaining a residence permit and are looking for ways to orientate themselves in complex administrative procedures and legislation. This follows from data from the IOM Migration Information Centre (MIC), which was opened by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Slovakia in April 2006.

MIC is the only information centre for foreigners in Slovakia, which provides migrants from countries outside the European Union with free legal, social and employment counselling, support for further education and integration into the labor market. The center also organizes Slovak language courses for them and supports the life of foreign communities in Slovakia.

"If any of us decides to live in a new country, we want to find an accommodation and a job. It will be very helpful if we can speak a language, have an accurate information about residence, family reunification, employment and health care, how and where to get various documents and permits, and which authorities to contact. Foreigners in Slovakia are in the same situation. Our centre responds to their most frequent requests in order to manage their new lives in Slovakia as easily as possible. Their successful integration is also beneficial for the Slovak society," explains Zuzana Vatráľová, Head of the IOM mission in Slovakia.

Slovakia is a destination country for an increasing number of foreigners. In 2006, when the IOM opened the centre, there were 32,153 foreigners living in the Slovak Republic; as of 31 December 2020, according to the statistics of the Border and Foreign Police Bureau, there were 150,000 in Slovakia, which represents a fivefold increase and a 2.75 percent share in the total population of the Slovak Republic.

"With the growing number of foreigners in Slovakia, the number of beneficiaries  and consultations has been increasing every year since the centre opened 15 years ago. In 2020, 8,237 people used the centre's comprehensive consultancy alone, that is 2,000 more than in 2019,” says Zuzana Vatráľová.

The courses of Slovak language, and courses in cultural and social orientation are among the most requested and high-demand MIC‘s services, and over 13,000 people have already completed them. The results of the IOM MIC from April 2006 to March 2021 are available on the IOM website.

Testimonials:

We would like to thank you for your professional approach, patience and timely support regarding all matters. Without your effort, life would be far more difficult for foreigners in this country.

IOM has helped me many times and each of the situations were very complex. In fact, one from IOM spoke over the phone with the foreign police officer while I was there. IOM is the best in Slovakia in providing factual information regarding immigration and stuffs.

Thank you so much for your hard, good and vital work. Thanks to you, my husband and I feel great support and that this Country needs us. Thanks to your advice, we were able to apply for the extension of the residence permit, my diplomas were recognized and I found a prestigious job.

I have been travelling to Slovakia the last 13 years, because my husband is Slovak, and this is the first time I can learn the systematic basis of grammar. I also improved my vocabulary a lot, and now I feel more prepared to talk. This course has been an excellent experience, I want also mention the patience and kindness of teacher.

I attend the online Slovak Language Сourse on a regular basis. And I must admit that it is great experience. Since I live in the village which is pretty far from Banska Bystrica, I think the online course is a best option.

"The clients of our centre especially appreciate the fact that in one place they will receive useful counselling and other services needed for the lives of foreigners in Slovakia. They also appreciate the comprehensibility and usefulness of the information in several languages, prompt responses, proficiency and helpfulness of the centre's counsellors," describes Zuzana Vatráľová.

According to the experience of the IOM MIC, the current Covid-19 pandemic has an adverse effect not only on domestic residents, but also on foreigners living in the Slovak Republic.

"Many of them had their residence permits expired during an emergency situation, some of them lost their jobs and could not return home due to travel restrictions. All this and many other situations needed to be resolved immediately. We strengthened the MIC IOM information line for clients 0850 211 478, the number of email consultations increased and in the first quarter of 2021 the number of visitors to the website www.mic.iom.sk doubled to 71,000 per month. We have transferred the teaching of the Slovak language to the online format, for those interested we organize information webinars and create useful video tutorials, “adds Zuzana Vatráľová.

Find more information about our services.

See what our beneficiaries and co-workers have to say about the MIC IOM services:

The results of 15 years of the IOM Migration Information Centre services:

• Prev
• Next