Information for Ukrainians in the Smart Migration Mobile App

Source: Slovo Bulletin II/2022 | Text: MLSA

Easy access to important information and solutions to situations that need to be addressed upon arrival to the Czech Republic and during the stay here – that is what the Smart Migration app offers to foreigners and people fleeing the war in Ukraine. The app was launched in March by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MLSA). It provides fundamental information on employment, health care, and education in Ukrainian, English, and Russian.

Interactive tutorials are a key part of the app. They make it easier to look up relevant information. Users may also ask questions to a virtual assistant, who will guide them through the problem. The app includes a link to an online interface for applying for humanitarian and solidarity household benefits.

Although the Smart Migration app was originally developed for foreigners who mainly come to the CR to work here, it has been quickly updated to meet the needs of Ukrainians seeking refuge from the war. It informs them about the registration system as well as their rights and obligations.

“The information will be gradually updated and added. We want the Smart Migration app to become part of the long-term information strategy of the MLSA towards foreigners in the future. It is another way of making essential information available online. A similarly important step was the introduction of the online application for humanitarian benefits and solidarity allowance. Our plan is to gradually expand the functions, too,” says Marian Jurečka, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.

The Smart Migration app was developed by a research team of Mendel University in Brno as part of the Smart Migration in the Czech Republic project that has also been joined by Metropolitan University Prague. The project has been supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. Among other partners, the project also involves the Ukrainian Initiative, representing diaspora organisations in the CR. In cooperation with this initiative, experts from the MIOK educational institute at Lviv Polytechnic University provided feedback on the content of the application. “It is great that such an app has been created in our country. It can help many Ukrainians and we will promote it among them through our channels,” says Bohdan Rajčinec, Chairman of the Ukrainian Initiative.