A total of 1,017 Russian citizens had not complied with the requirements of the law and submitted documents to stay in Latvia, but Roze noted that information changes daily. Of these 1,017 people, information has been obtained that 213 have left Latvia through another European Union country.
Currently, 6 departure orders have been issued, and two of the people have already left Latvia. The others have been given 30 days to leave. A further 22 persons were allowed to submit documents relating to family reunification, a valid reason to be on Latvian soil, but still requiring the appropriate paperwork to be in place.
The PMLP, together with the State Border Guard, will control the circumstances of departure for those persons living in Latvia illegally. Failure to comply with the order voluntarily will potentially be followed by a deportation order provided for in the Immigration Law, Roze explained.
When asked if those who do not contact PMLP will get an expulsion order, Rose replied in the affirmative: “Yes, we have reported them to the State Border Guard to see if they are in Latvia or not.”
The Immigration Law provides that permanent residence permits issued to Russian citizens who have previously been citizens of Latvia or 'non-citizens' expired in September 2023. In order to live in Latvia, they had to apply for the status of long-term resident of the European Union, and submit a certification to the PMLP regarding knowledge of the official language at a minimum level and the existence of suitable financial resources. Those citizens of the Russian Federation who have at least tried to take the Latvian language test but failed may apply for a two-year temporary residence permit and take the Latvian language examination again later.
Citizens of the Russian Federation who have so far not done anything can also apply for another type of residence permit, based on factors such as marriage or family reunification.
