Slovakia may shorten visa review time for citizens of Uzbekistan

Slovakia may ease the process of issuing national visas for citizens of Uzbekistan, the Dunyo IA reported.

The first consular consultations between the foreign ministries of Uzbekistan and Slovakia were held in Bratislava. According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides discussed simplifying visa procedures, labor migration, and the exchange of consular information.

Following the meeting, the Slovak side expressed its readiness to consider simplifying the process of obtaining national visas, particularly by reducing the application review period from three months to one.

The parties also agreed to inform Slovakia’s Migration Office about the prospects of attracting labor migrants from Uzbekistan to work at the Volvo plant, as well as plans to organize Slovak language courses for them.

Relevant institutions of both countries will work on bilateral agreements regulating labor migration, readmission, migration, and mobility.

In March, the Slovak Migration Office signed an agreement with the recruiting company Manpower Group Slovakia (a subsidiary of the U.S.-based Manpower Group), which supplies labor to the Volkswagen, Peugeot, Volvo, and Jaguar Slovakia automobile plants.