Not everyone knows that one of the functions of the Office is work on the repatriation process. We took measures related to the integration of repatriates, as well as decide on the issue of a permit to enter Latvia and granting the status of a repatriant.
The repatriant is a citizen of Latvia, who has at least one relative in a straight ascending line who is Latvian or Livonian (Liv) and who voluntarily moves to permanent residence in the Republic of Latvia.
Repatriation boom
Historically, the return of many Latvians and their family members to Latvia was facilitated by the adoption of the Repatriation Law in 1995.
In the early years after the Repatriation Law was enacted, the repatriation process was bustling, with applications made by around 700-800 people a year.
In the following years, this trend decreased rapidly, with a slight upswing coming in 2017-2019, when Latvia was preparing and celebrating its centenary. At that time, many Latvians came to participate in the Song Festival and other events.
Countries from which people return
Statistics show that in the last ten years most repatriates along with their family members have returned from the countries of the former USSR, mostly from the Russian Federation (1159), Ukraine (354) and Belarus (106).
It is interesting that 2004 is the only one in the history of the repatriation process, when more repatriates (52%) have returned from Western countries than from Eastern countries.
More on the repatriation process: https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/lv/repatriacija-0