Since Amendment No. 161/2006 to the Alien Act on long-term residence, migrants need only wait 5 years (down from 10) to be eligible for long-term residence. The spouses of Czechs, however, no longer get long-term residence status upon marriage. Those in the "Active Selection of Qualified Foreign Workers" programme get their permits after just 2.5 years. Applicants must pass a short but expensive procedure without official integration or language conditions. Yet under the Foreign Workers Programme, points are awarded for experience of the Czech Republic and language ability. Long-term residents are secure enough in their status to go abroad for over three years. Even so, the state will only preclude expulsion if it considers that it would be an excessive interference in a long-term resident's private or family life. A long-term resident's personal behavior, age, or years living in the Czech Republic are not explicitly taken into account. Long-term residents have equal rights as nationals to employment, social security, social assistance and healthcare.
