In Latvia, more than 3,500 Russian citizens are expected to receive letters from migration authorities this week asking them to leave the country. According to authorities in Riga, these are people who have not submitted documents to renew a permanent residence permit or have not registered for a Latvian language test before September 1.
Therefore, their residence permit has expired and they must leave Latvia on November 30, a statement said on Thursday. The background is an amendment to the law that was adopted by parliament in the autumn of 2022 in response to the Russian war of aggression – which tightened the residence rules for Russian citizens.
In order to continue living legally in Latvia, they must apply for permanent residency status. To do this, they must – with a few exceptions – demonstrate that they have knowledge of the Latvian language at level A2.
Large Russian-speaking minority
Latvia, with its 1.9 million inhabitants, borders Russia. A large minority of Russian descent lives in the Baltic state. The majority of them include people who emigrated during the Soviet era and their descendants. A heated debate broke out over the scheme, which affects around 20,000 people. At the proposal of the government in Riga, parliament had therefore been given two more years to pass the Latvian language test.
Email from the migration authority
Anyone who has not passed the test on September 1 can now apply for a two-year residence permit and take the test again. All others who did not register for the test at all are now receiving mail from the migration authority. According to previous information, more than 13,000 Russian citizens registered for the language test and approximately 11,000 participated. Of these, 39 percent passed the first time.
Spent part of his entire life in Latvia
Critics pointed out that the strict language test and deportation requirements would mainly affect vulnerable people and the elderly who do not pose a threat to national security. Some of them spent their entire lives in Latvia, which was involuntarily part of the Soviet Union until 1991.
Supporters of a strict interpretation of the regulation counter that this is precisely why these people had enough time and opportunities to learn the language. Part of society was therefore categorically against an extension of the deadline.
Source: Krone
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