required to leave the Czech Republic. Appeals generally have suspensive effect, i.e., the contested decision does not have any legal effect while the appeal is pending. However, this is not automatic in certain circumstances such as: if the application has been found inadmissible; if the applicant comes from a safe country and has not sought protection in that country; or if the asylum seeker holds more than one citizenship and failed to avail himself or herself of the protection of any of the countries of which he or she is a citizen, unless the asylum seeker proves that he or she could not avail himself or herself of such protection for reasons for which asylum or subsidiary protection can be granted. In such cases, in order to suspend an exit order pending appeal, the applicant must apply to the regional court.532 Generally, the asylum seeker is in a position of a beneficiary of subsidiary protection throughout the appeal procedure.533 Complaints to the Supreme Administrative Court in general have suspensive effect. There is an exception to this rule if the cassation complaint is filed by an asylum seeker staying at one of the reception centers at the time of filing the complaint.534 6. Protection under the Statelessness Conventions The Czech Republic is Party to the 1954 Convention and the 1961 Convention;535 however, there is no procedure by which stateless persons can obtain a right to residency under these Conventions.536 Stateless persons are eligible for Czech citizenship in certain circumstances (see Section 5, above). 7. Links • • • • • • • • • • Ministry of Interior: www.mvcr.cz Refugee Facility Administration: www.suz.cz Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs: www.mpsv.cz Organization for Aid to Refugees: www.opu.cz Association for Integration and Migration: www.migrace.com Association of Citizens Looking after Emigrants: www.soze.cz Counselling Centre for Integration: www.p-p-i.cz Caritas Czech Republic: www.charita.cz Deaconry of the Evangelical Czech Brothers Church: www.diakonie.cz Centre for Integration of Foreigners: www.cicpraha.org 532 European Database of Asylum Law, “EDAL Country Overview - Czech Republic.” Information provided by Beáta Szakácsová. 534 Ibid. 535 UNTC, “Status of Treaties: Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons;” UNTC, “Status of Treaties: Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.” 536 Ibid. 533 112 Handbook on Protection of Palestinian Refugees