Latvia - June 2023

On 8 June, the Saeima decided to halt the granting of repatriate status, designed to facilitate the immigration of ethnic Latvian and Livonian people to Latvia, starting from 1 January 2024. Existing repatriates will be issued a five-year temporary residence permit rather than a permanent residence permit. It also introduces the requirement to demonstrate basic knowledge of Latvian, as the official language, in order for repatriates to acquire permanent residence. The amendments were approved with 83 votes in favour, and only nine votes against. Proponents of the amendments say the Repatriation Law, adopted in 1995, is increasingly being used to move freely within Schengen, rather than to return to Latvia, and recent inspections have uncovered the use of false documents in repatriation applications. The migration office notes that the war in Ukraine has led to an increase in Russian citizens entering Latvia as repatriates. Around 17,500 Russian citizens resident in Latvia will have to demonstrate knowledge of the national language to receive a permanent residence permit, according to estimates from the Baltic News Network.

Sources: Baltic News Network, Saeima, LSM, Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (1), Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (2)