Latvia to deport nearly thousand Russians who failed to meet immigration law requirements
Riga has begun deportation proceedings against 985 Russian citizens who failed the state language exam or did not apply for another type of residence permit, which is required by the Immigration Law, the Latvian news outlet LSM reported on Jan. 18.
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The affected people have been sent letters instructing them to leave within two weeks or regularize their legal status in Latvia. The authorities do not have sufficient immigration information about the Russians because their permanent residence permits have expired and they have not tried to meet the necessary requirements.
Information about them will be sent to the State Border Guard Service to verify the last declared place of residence and whether they currently reside there, head of the Latvian Citizenship and Migration Department Maira Roze explained.
"If a person does not live [where they claimed], we still ask the neighbors but assume that they left, for example through Estonia,” said Roze.
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“But if the person is at the declared place of residence, they will receive an order to leave".
The same procedure will be applied to those who have failed the language test starting from April. They can apply for a two-year temporary residence permit and take the test later, but thus far about 2,500 people have not submitted the required documents and are not complying with the law.
The only alternative is voluntary departure. This means that everyone has the right to leave the country voluntarily, except for those who pose a threat to national security. Forced deportation can be used if individuals do not take any action or appeal.
Roze noted that most Russian citizens have regularized their status by passing the language exam, applying for another residence permit, or left the country.
Gunārs Kutris, the chairman of the Latvian Saeima's Committee on Citizenship, Migration, and Social Cohesion, predicts “forced expulsions of Russians,” but notes that the exact number is uncertain and that “it will not happen overnight.”
The Citizenship and Migration Board admits that some of the 985 Russian citizens to be deported may have already left Latvia, as the country's border service only has information on people who leave Latvia via the Russian or Belarusian border. It does not have information about those who via Estonia, for example, without crossing the border with a third country.
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In September 2022, Latvian authorities amended the immigration law to require people with Russian passports who are permanent residents of Latvia to take a language test within one year. The changes affected about 25,000 Russians living in the country.
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