Latvia has provided both opportunities and adequate and feasible requirements for extending residence permits to Russian citizens residing in the country, Prime Minister Evika Silina stated in an interview with TV3.
In response to the question of whether the potential expulsion of about 500 Russian citizens would find understanding among Latvia's Western partners, which the Russian regime is already using for propaganda purposes, Silina acknowledged that partners have raised some questions and that Latvia needs to work on raising awareness of the situation.
The politician reminded that stricter requirements for issuing residence permits to Russian citizens were introduced a few years ago in reaction to the war unleashed by Russia, and at that time the initial number of people subject to the new requirements was about 25,000. It has now become clear that the majority have met the requirements, and in Silina's opinion, this indicates that the state has provided the opportunity to obtain a residence permit and that the requirements for obtaining it were adequate and feasible.
Russian citizens who have not yet met the legal requirements still have a choice: to fulfill the formalities or leave the country.
According to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA), after the expiration of the legally established deadline, about 500 Russian citizens did not apply for an extension of their right to reside in Latvia. Consequently, these individuals will have to leave the country.
According to amendments to the Immigration Law adopted on June 20, 2024, those Russian citizens who had been permanently residing in Latvia before obtaining Russian citizenship and had received permanent residence permits were required to submit documents to the OCMA for EU permanent resident status. Among these documents is confirmation of successfully passing the state language exam.
Based on these amendments, the permanent residence permits of 841 Russian citizens have expired, as they did not submit documents for EU permanent resident status by June 30. Therefore, on July 18, the OCMA sent notifications to these individuals requiring them to either leave Latvia or submit the appropriate applications by October 13.
Of the 841 who received the letter, 358 responded and submitted applications for residence permits, the OCMA indicated. However, submitting an application does not guarantee automatic approval — the documents will be thoroughly checked by the OCMA and the Security Police (SP).
As for the 483 individuals who did not submit an application, their information will be forwarded to the State Border Guard (SBG) for exit verification. If it is determined that they have not left the country, they will be invited to the OCMA to receive an exit order.
The OCMA allows that some of these 483 individuals may have already left Latvia but did not notify the agency. It is also assumed that some of them may still submit applications for residence permits.
It was previously reported that in September 2023, the Saeima adopted amendments to the Immigration Law, according to which Russian citizens who did not pass the Latvian language exam or did not do so for valid reasons can obtain a temporary residence permit for up to two years.
This does not apply to those Russian citizens who obtained permanent residence permits under the so-called Law on Foreigners and for whom language knowledge was not previously required.
