Latvia can offer thousands of Russian citizens to leave the country

In September, the Government of Latvia may recommend several thousand Russian citizens to leave the country. This was reported by the head of the Seimas Commission on Citizenship and Migration, Ingmar Lydaka. According to him, we are talking about five to six thousand people who are not making any effort to reshape the types of residence.

Lydaka clarified that official letters will be addressed to holders of Russian citizenship who have not yet started issuing Latvian residence permits according to the new rules and have not passed the state language exam.

The information was confirmed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Latvia. The department stated that after receiving the order, the addressees must leave Latvia within three months. Failure to comply with the order is punishable by a fine, there is no criminal liability for it.

• 25,317 Russian citizens with special status live in Latvia. Before receiving a Russian passport, they were Latvian citizens or (in the vast majority) so-called non-citizens.
• At the end of September 2022, the Latvian parliament – the Seimas – legislatively canceled permanent residence permits for such people from September 2, 2023. In order to maintain the right to live in Latvia, they must issue a residence permit. To do this, it is necessary to submit a certificate of knowledge of the Latvian language to the Citizenship and Immigration Office and prove that the monthly income during the last year was not lower than the minimum salary (620 euros in 2023) or that the person receives a Latvian pension.