This paper adds to the literature on new immigrant destinations and the geographies of immigrant incorporation by studying recent changes in the settlement patterns of nonnatives in the Czech Republic. This country has rapidly transitioned from a country of emigration to one gaining population from elsewhere. The speed of this transition is unusual and is worthy of study in and of itself. Similar to most other countries with significant immigration, newcomers tend to settle in large urban centres, so, not surprisingly, Prague is the principal gateway city. In the Czech case, however, settlement patterns do not follow a simple hierarchy; non-natives indeed are now found increasingly not only in secondary cities but also in nonmetropolitan areas, especially to the north and west of Prague. These basic geographies are shaped by the direct settlement from other countries and also result from rapidly evolving secondary migrations within the country.

This article presents selected results of a research project on irregular migration and migrants' irregular economic activities in the Czech Republic. The project explored several topics through quantitative as well as qualitative research techniques: a questionnaire survey (N=159) and interviews (N=37) with irregular migrants living in the Czech Republic and a Delphi survey among experts on migration. The article describes and explains the nature of migrants' irregular economic activities. It also provides a quantitative analysis of migrants' selected characteristics followed by a description and typology of relations within the so-called 'client' system. ❖❖❖Keywords: irregular migration, irregular migrants, Czech Republic, economic activities, quantitative and qualitative research methods of the Czech Republic (2005)(2006)(2007). 1 The project also has links to two teams in Austria and Hungary (led by Michael Jandl and Judith Juhász). 2 As there is a lack of research and information on irregular migration and migrants' irregular economic activities in the Czech Republic, our aim was to explore this topic by using quantitative as well as qualitative research techniques. We were primarily interested in irregular migrants themselves -in conditions in their countries of origin, their reasons for migration, and their living and working conditions in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, we examined the role of the Czech state and its migration policy, as well as the impact of migrants' irregular work at different levels (the state, employers, etc). This article, however, focuses only on the economic activities of irregular immigrants. It examines the topic through different methodical approaches (see below).

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In connection with the growing trend of transnationalism in international migration flows, the number of transnational communities has been increasing. The aim of this study is to describe the transnational dynamics and processes using the example of remitting Ukrainian workers in Czechia. The research was conducted with immigrants in Czechia and their families in Ukraine. More than 50 interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Based on the remittances sent, marital status, gender, mobility and locality of immigrants, a typology was created, in which the specifics of transnational processes were assessed. We argue that different behaviour of transnational migrants is a reflection of their socio‐demographic characteristics (e.g. family status, education or number of children), which may change over time.

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