Latvia may expel over 3,000 Russian citizens

In a crackdown designed to ensure Russian citizens meet EU residency requirements, Latvia may end up deporting over 3,000 Russians.

More than 3,000 Russian citizens living in Latvia have received letters about the expiration of their residence permits. They must leave Latvia unless they have requested a language exam retake or have applied for EU permanent residency, Latvia’s LSM reported on Oct. 5.

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Latvia distributed 3,255 information letters about the expiration of residence permits to those Russian citizens who had not applied for long-term EU resident status, said Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs head, Maira Roze.

3,541 people did not submit documents for long-term EU resident status or did not apply for a re-examination of their official language proficiency. According to the immigration law, their permanent residence permits expired on Sept. 2.

Therefore, these persons must leave Latvia by Nov. 30, 2023.

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Of those who have not done anything to obtain a residence permit, about 200 have no declared address of residence at all, so the agency cannot contact them, and some have not been asked to leave the country because they are known to be outside Latvia.

In December, the department will check whether these people have crossed the border and left Latvia. If they have not, the authorities will send information to the Border Guard to check whether they are in the country, and if they are in Latvia, they will be ordered to leave the country.

Latvia amended the immigration law in Sept. 2022 to require people with a Russian passport and permanent residence in Latvia to take a language exam within a year. The amendments affected approximately 25,000 Russians living in the country.

Read also: Norway latest EU country to ban cars with Russian license plates

Latvian police announced on Sept. 25 that they would fine drivers whose cars bear stickers reading "I am Russian" or other slogans or inscriptions expressing support for or glorifying Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.

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