VILNIUS, December 18. /TASS/. The Latvian government intends to expel more than 1,000 Russian nationals who have failed to submit documents to obtain a residency permit in the former Soviet republic, Maira Roze, a senior official of the Latvian Interior Ministry’s Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, said.

"More than 1,000 people are to be deported. As far as we can see, many were late or are still trying to figure out how to apply for temporary resident status, but, unfortunately, we have to state that they must leave <...>," the Delfi news portal quoted her as saying. A total of around 15,500 Russian nationals are seeking permanent residency in Latvia and some 3,000 Russians have applied for a temporary residency permit, Roze explained.

Meanwhile, almost 2,200 people have failed to meet the requirements authorizing applicants to stay in the Baltic state, Roze emphasized. She said that the final figure would be lower as Russian nationals continued to apply. According to Roze, her office has asked the State Border Service to check how many Russian citizens have so far left the country. Relevant information may be available later this week, she added.

In September 2022, Latvia’s Saeima, or unicameral parliament, adopted amendments to the Immigration Law that obligated Russian citizens with permanent residency permits in the Baltic republic to have their proficiency in the Latvian language certified at the level of A2 by September 2023; otherwise, their residency documents were to be terminated.

On September 14, the Saeima approved amendments to the Immigration Law in the final reading extending the time period for an applicant to pass the Latvian language proficiency exam by two years. However, applicants aged 75 years or older will be exempt from the examination requirement.