The amendments to the Immigration Law provide that citizens of the Russian Federation who have failed the State language test or whose permanent residence permits expired on 2 September this year because they have failed the Latvian State language test are entitled to apply for a residence permit in the Republic of Latvia, undertaking to learn the State language and successfully pass the test within its validity period.
A person may apply for a residence permit in the Republic of Latvia for a period of up to two years if he or she has previously applied for the State language test but failed to pass it successfully and applied for a second State language test or has failed to pass it so far for justified reasons. Justifiable reasons may be considered to be serious health-related reasons or other reasons beyond the person’s control. The application for a permit to reside in the Republic of Latvia must be submitted to the Office within the period of legal residence, but not later than 30 March 2024.
The amendments also provide that a person who has successfully passed the State language test but has been unable to obtain the status of a permanent resident of the European Union due to a period of absence or insufficient financial resources may apply for a new permanent residence permit. The necessary documents for applying for a permanent residence permit must be submitted to the Office no later than 31 December 2023.
“We encourage you not to put off submitting your documents until the last minute and to submit them on time! If a large number of documents are received shortly before the submission deadline, the Office may have difficulty processing them in time,” warns Maira Roze, Head of the Office.
Both applications for a residence permit and a permanent residence permit will be processed by the Office within four months from the date of receipt. It is important to note that a State fee of EUR 100 must be paid before submitting the documents.
Those citizens of the Russian Federation who are subject to the amendments to the Immigration Law and who apply for a permanent residence permit or a permit to reside in the Republic of Latvia will receive the right to employment without restrictions and will also retain the right to receive the existing state-provided services, including pensions and benefits, if the person’s declared place of residence is in the Republic of Latvia. Russian citizens who will lose the legal status to reside in Latvia because they have not submitted documents within the deadlines will not have such rights.
More information on the amendments to the Immigration Law and exceptions to the State language test for certain groups of persons is available on the website of the Office www.pmlp.gov.lv in the section “Updated information on the amendments to the Immigration Law”.
Additional information and individual consultations on the process of submitting documents or on the possibilities to apply for a permanent residence permit or a permit to reside in the Republic of Latvia can be obtained by writing to the Migration Division of the Office at the e-mail address mn@pmlp.gov.lv.
Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs
Personnel Management and Public Relations Department
67219185