Illegal migration to EU remains a problem

Attempts by nationals from high-risk countries to misuse legal means of entering Slovak territory continued in 2018, the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) reported in the declassified part of its 2018 Report on its Activities. The report was released on its website on Friday 28 June. The report charted a growing trend of sophisticated migration practices by nationals from high-risk countries, including, for instance, purpose-built residence permits issued to entrepreneurs and sham marriages. "Those involved in these activities are mainly organised groups of individuals specialising in providing residence in Slovakia to citizens of Iran, Ukraine, Russia and former Soviet Republics, Egypt, Syria and Turkey. The individuals involved reap high financial kickbacks. The extraordinarily lucrative character of the sophisticated methods of illegal migration pave the way for a rise in organised criminal groups hiding behind the veneer of official businesses," reads the text. However, the number of illegal migrants who travelled to the EU in 2018 was the lowest in the past five years.