A new immigration law has been passed in Latvia, which tightens conditions for Belarusians

Under the new rules, a foreigner who receives a temporary residence permit in Latvia specifically for employment purposes is now usually issued it for no more than one year. An exception is made for cases where the employer pays taxes under the micro-enterprise regime. The European Union Blue Card, however, is issued for two years.

The law defines 23 categories of foreigners who can work in Latvia without additional restrictions. These include holders of permanent residence permits, spouses and children of Latvian citizens, non-citizens or permanent residence permit holders, descendants of Latvians and Livs, refugees, individuals with alternative status or temporary protection and their family members, guardians of Latvian citizens and non-citizens, victims of human trafficking, some students, researchers, and investors.

For citizens of Belarus, a separate scheme is provided in the new law. A Belarusian who, prior to reapplying for documents, has officially worked in Latvia for at least the last three months and paid income tax, can receive a renewed temporary residence permit for a period of one year.

However, citizens of Belarus are excluded from a number of provisions of the law and therefore cannot obtain residence permits on certain grounds available to citizens of other countries, with the exception of Russia.

Separate rules apply to education. A Belarusian can obtain a residence permit in Latvia if their stay in the country is related to student exchange between accredited educational institutions.

In cases not directly provided for by law, if a citizen of Belarus applies for a temporary residence permit for up to three years, the permit may be granted by the Minister of Internal Affairs. This is possible if the issuance of the permit complies with international legal norms or is related to humanitarian considerations.

For citizens of Russia, there are even more restrictions. In particular, they cannot obtain a residence permit as a company manager, investor, startup participant, or regular employed worker. However, they retain the possibility of receiving an EU Blue Card, relocating within a group of companies, and participating in research projects.

Citizens of Russia also cannot obtain a work visa or a remote work visa, with the exception of seasonal work.

One of the stated goals of the new law is to strengthen control over employment and illegal migration. The document also takes into account migrants who may have entered Latvia without legal grounds for entry.

The new law also introduces liability for assisting in illegal border crossing. This includes carriers who, for money, pick up illegal migrants near the site of an illegal border crossing and transport them to populated areas.

An individual who transports a person into Latvia without the necessary documents faces a fine of 200 to 400 base units for each person transported. For a legal entity, the fine ranges from 840 to 1400 base units for each person.

• 0
• 2
• 0
• 7
• 0
• 3
• 0
• 0