2024-05-02 18:51:08
The amendments to the Immigration Law were submitted by MPs Edmunds Jurēvics (JV), Harijs Rokpelnis (ZZS), Andris Šuvajevs (P), Agnese Krasta (JV) and Rajevs. Similar amendments were previously pushed by the National Association.
The amendments would apply to some Russian citizens who were not required to know the national language until now. This group includes more than 3,100 persons under the age of 75. Also, these amendments could be advanced with the current approach, that knowledge of the language is required for persons aged up to 75 years.
This smaller group also includes retired Russian military personnel and their family members.
The draft law stipulates that the permanent residence permit for a specific group of Russian citizens will be valid until May 15, 2025 in one case, if the necessary documents for requesting the status of a permanent resident of the European Union (EU) have not been received by the Directorate of Citizenship and Migration Affairs by April 30, 2025. .
In the second case, the permanent residence permit will be valid until September 15, 2025 for a person who needs a certificate of mastering the national language in order to request the status of a permanent resident of the EU, if the PMLP has received information by May 1, 2025 that this person until May 1, 2025, has passed the state language proficiency test at least once, and this person will be required to repeat the state language proficiency test until July 31, 2025, but PMLP has not received the necessary documents for permanent residence in the EU by August 31, 2025 to request resident status.
At the same time, the amendment provides for separate conditions regarding the proof of the sufficiency of financial resources and length of stay. Also, the amendment does not exclude the possibility for Russian citizens of this group to find another basis for receiving the right of residence in Latvia.
It has already been announced that according to the verdict of the Constitutional Court (ST), an additional few thousand Russian citizens with a permanent residence permit in Latvia will be required to know the national language, as can be concluded from Prime Minister Evikas Siliņa’s (JV) statement above.
Silina pointed out that the coalition agreed to advance relevant amendments to the Immigration Law in order to apply the conditions for knowledge of the national language to the group identified in the ST verdict, who obtained Russian citizenship earlier, but for whom knowledge of the language was not required until now.
Previously, at the meeting of the Defense, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Commission, the representative of the State Educational Content Center (VISC) indicated that the institution will need additional funds for state language knowledge tests, the VISC representative said at the commission meeting.
The initial amount of additional VISC expenses is estimated at 390,000 euros. If people over 75 years old are subtracted from the relevant group, the total could possibly be lower.
After receiving payments from those who will have to take language tests, VISC plans to return the collected funds to the budget.
Igors Rajevs (AS), a member of the Saeima and parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of the Interior (AS), one of the applicants of the amendments, emphasized at the commission meeting that both realistic and strict deadlines for learning the Latvian language were proposed for the additional group of Russian citizens living in Latvia.
Vilnis Vītoliņš, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, emphasized that the ministry supports and calls for the adoption of these amendments, which are essential for public safety at a time when Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine is actively continuing. Vītoliņš noted that it is important to conduct tests of knowledge of the Latvian language in order to identify aspects of the integration of Russian citizens.
Support for the amendments was expressed by the PMLP representative, pointing out the need to keep ten of the previously allocated additional staff positions in the administration for the implementation of the amendments.
The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) explained the situation of international obligations, as the amendments will affect some of the Russian military pensioners and their family members, who are covered by the 1994 Latvian-Russian government agreement, which is one of the four documents related to the withdrawal of Russian armed forces from Latvia in 1994.
The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that in the process of adopting the amendments, it should be stated that they are not aimed at military pensioners as a separate group, accordingly the proposed changes are not discriminatory, but aimed at a wider group of Russian citizens in Latvia, who will be affected by the amendments. Russian military pensioners do not have an absolute right to stay in Latvia, but they can stay in Latvia in compliance with the law, noted the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In response to the questions of Aleksej Roslikov, chairman of the “Stability” faction, whether Latvia should initially withdraw to some extent from the agreement concluded with Russia in 1994, representatives of both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications answered in the negative. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the relevant agreement with Russia does not provide general guarantees for the said persons to stay in Latvia, as those who have chosen to continue living in Latvia must obey Latvian legislation. Also, the amendments have a legitimate goal – national security and integration related to it.
Representatives of the State Security Service and the Office of the Ombudsman also expressed their support for the amendments at the commission meeting.
2024-05-02 18:51:08