Czech authorities revoked the permanent residence of a 26-year-old Ukrainian due to his seven convictions, and subsequently denied him a visa. The young man tried to challenge this decision in the Constitutional Court but was unsuccessful.
The Ukrainian, who had served multiple prison sentences, lost his residence permit in the Czech Republic in 2022. He then applied for a long-term visa, but authorities refused, citing his criminal record.
He appealed to the Constitutional Court, arguing that the violation of his right to private and family life forced him to return to Ukraine. He pointed out that he had lived in the Czech Republic since he was two years old, his parents and grandmother live there, and his connection with Ukraine had significantly weakened. The man does not speak Ukrainian and cannot read or write in Cyrillic.
Nevertheless, the Constitutional Court, chaired by Josef Fiala, dismissed the appeal. The court’s ruling stated that the right to a long-term visa is not provided for foreign nationals under the Czech Constitution. The judges emphasized that the visa refusal was logically justified and not excessive.
