VILNIUS, January 16./TASS/. The Latvian authorities have sent repeated letters threatening to deport 985 Russians who failed to meet the requirement to obtain a residence permit in the country, LTV TV channel reported referring to the chief of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, Maira Roze.
She said that with regard to these people "there is no information about what is happening to them," according to the TV channel. "[Repeated letters were sent] so that they could let us know their opinion that they may receive an order to leave," Roze added.
As the TV channel notes, the Russians have been given two weeks to respond to these letters, a decision on their deportation has not yet been made. In the reply they can indicate that they have already left the country, if that is true, inform that they need time to leave the country, or write about their intention to apply for a residence permit in Latvia. If the authorities do not receive a response, they will be forced to conduct an investigation into whether these Russian citizens are staying in the republic.
The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs also reiterated that the Russians who failed to pass the language exam, must submit the necessary documents by April 1, 2024.
Deportation of Russian nationals from Latvia
Boris Katkov, an 82-year-old retiree, was deported from Latvia on January 13 for supposedly being a threat to national security, with no timetable for when he would be able to return. The day before, the country's authorities announced their decision. The Russian Embassy protested the incident, noting that Riga had violated the principle of not separating families: Katkov’s wife, children and grandchildren remained in Latvia.
In September 2022, the Saeima (unicameral parliament) of Latvia adopted amendments to the law on migration, which obliged Russian citizens who have permanent residence in the Baltic republic, to obtain a certificate of proficiency in the Latvian language at the A2 level by September 1, 2023. Otherwise, they would lose their residence status in the country.
On September 14, 2023, the Latvian Parliament approved the final reading of an amendment to the Immigration Law, extending the period to pass the state language exam by two years en route to obtaining the right to be a permanent resident in the Republic. Now Russian citizens living in Latvia will be able to obtain a temporary residence permit for two years, during which they will have to pass the state language exam. The application for a residence permit had to be submitted by December 31.