3000 euros for a Latvian visa: citizens of third countries are increasingly becoming victims of fraud

As the number of citizens from third countries coming to Latvia for study and work increases, supervisory authorities are increasingly detecting violations of their conditions of stay in the country.

Stricter measures to tighten control over incoming government institutions have not yet been introduced, as the relevant proposals from the Ministry of the Interior have not yet reached consideration by the government. Meanwhile, residence permits in Latvia are becoming a sought-after "commodity," which fraudsters are successfully exploiting.

The program "De facto" has testimonies from several Indian citizens who reported that during their studies and immediately after graduation, they actively sought work to stay in Latvia or another European Union (EU) country, but ended up without money and without visas. Fraudsters advertise Latvia vividly to potential clients outside the EU, often misleading them. Student recruitment agents promise them a 100% visa approval, claim that living in Latvia requires only 120 euros per month, and emphasize the possibility of studying and working simultaneously, which is allegedly not available in all European countries.

The number of foreign students in Latvia has significantly increased over the past ten years, mainly due to citizens of third countries. The largest group of foreign students consists of Indian citizens - over ten years, their number has increased by 66% to nearly 3,500. There is no statistics on how many of them also work while studying, however, the State Labor Inspectorate increasingly finds cases during raids where students work without a contract, appropriate schedule, and legal remuneration. As noted by the responsible institutions, a significant element of illegal migration schemes are intermediaries - companies that attract labor from third countries without taking any responsibility for the future of these people.

"A person from India cannot just get on a plane and come here to work in some kebab shop. It doesn't happen like that," says Baiba Šilberga, head of the Riga regional office of the State Labor Inspectorate, adding that certain schemes are in place here. The Ministry of the Interior proposes to prohibit intermediary firms from inviting citizens of third countries to Latvia. This should be done by the employer themselves, who will take responsibility for the invited workers. However, so far this proposal, like other initiatives in this area, has not made it onto the government’s agenda.