Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava (NA) is advancing an immigration restriction plan within the governing coalition that, among other measures, would introduce quotas for third-country nationals.
The plan was developed on the basis of conclusions reached by the Saeima parliamentary inquiry commission on immigration. The commission was previously chaired by Dombrava, and its final report included around 100 recommendations aimed at improving Latvia’s immigration policy and its enforcement, the minister’s adviser Marija Luīze Ratniece told the LETA news agency.
Now, as Interior Minister, Dombrava has moved to put the Saeima’s recommendations into practice. The Ministry of the Interior, together with other responsible institutions, has prepared a specific action plan that is also in line with the government declaration. The plan is due to be discussed at the coalition cooperation meeting on Monday before being submitted for inclusion on the Cabinet agenda.
“While I was still working in the Saeima, the parliamentary inquiry commission identified a number of problems in Latvia’s immigration system and prepared specific recommendations to address them. Those recommendations now need to be turned into concrete decisions. The plan provides for quotas for third-country nationals, stricter requirements for foreign students and universities, as well as much tighter controls on employment and residence,” the Interior Minister said.
One of the most significant measures would establish limits on the number of third-country nationals who may enter and reside in Latvia, giving the state greater control over the scale of immigration.
The plan would also restrict the ability of third-country nationals to operate as self-employed persons, while retaining objectively justified exceptions. It would also limit the use of unscrupulous intermediary companies in the employment of foreign nationals.
Restrictions are also planned for foreigners working through platforms such as Bolt and Wolt. Identity checks and verification of the right to work would be strengthened, while people without the appropriate legal basis for employment in Latvia would be prevented from working through such platforms.
The plan provides for stricter conditions governing the admission of third-country students, their attendance at classes and their overall proportion within Latvian higher education institutions.
At the same time, universities would face greater responsibility for violations related to inviting third-country students. One possible sanction for serious violations would be the revocation of accreditation. Universities would also be prohibited from concluding recruitment agreements with student recruitment agencies for attracting third-country students, except in relation to citizens of NATO and OECD member states.
The plan would require asylum seekers to register regularly, with penalties for failure to comply. In cases of unauthorised absence, an asylum application could be cancelled and the person deported from the country. Regular enforcement raids are also envisaged.
To increase the capacity of the State Border Guard, the plan also proposes introducing National Defence Service within the Border Guard.
As previously reported by LETA, the draft government decision proposes supporting the recommendations and solutions set out in the report. All institutions responsible for implementing the measures would be required to report their progress to the Ministry of the Interior by October 2027. The ministry would then submit a progress report to the government by December of the following year.
The plan also calls for amendments to the Criminal Law introducing criminal liability for knowingly providing physical or informational support to a foreign state, or acting in its interests, in the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats directed against Latvia.
It also proposes assessing the possibility of concluding mutual legal assistance agreements with countries that account for the largest migration flows and whose nationals’ entry and residence in Latvia are associated with significant risks of document fraud.
The possibility of requiring asylum seekers residing outside asylum accommodation centres to register regularly would also be assessed. Penalties would apply for non-compliance, while unauthorised absence could result in the cancellation of an asylum application and deportation from Latvia.
The plan envisages new security checks at Riga Airport and for international land and sea passenger transport operators to ensure that passengers are not using tickets registered in another person’s name. This would involve comparing passengers’ identity documents with the details on their registered tickets.
Regarding students, the plan calls for clarifying the objectives of Latvia’s higher education export strategy to prevent conflicts with national security considerations. This would include defining target countries for student recruitment, establishing strict eligibility criteria for admission to Latvian universities, strengthening data-based monitoring of third-country students during their studies, and improving information about what happens to these students after graduating from Latvian higher education institutions.
Amendments to the Law on Higher Education Institutions would require foreign students to attend at least 70% of their studies and provide for the expulsion of students who, without a valid reason, miss more than three days during the academic year.
The government also intends to develop legislative amendments limiting the proportion of foreign students at Latvian higher education institutions to no more than 50% of the total student population. Additional restrictions would apply to the proportion of third-country students within the overall number of foreign students.
Changes to admission requirements are also planned. Under the proposal, third-country students applying to Latvian universities would not be permitted to have a grade lower than eight in any subject prior to admission.
The report proposes amendments allowing the accreditation of an educational institution to be revoked in cases of serious or systematic violations related to the admission of foreign students and compliance with residence requirements.
The plan also calls for the development of a working-time tracking system for third-country nationals employed in Latvia. Both the employer inviting the foreign worker and the invited employee would be required to ensure that working hours are recorded.
Amendments to the Immigration Law would stipulate that third-country nationals may be invited to Latvia for employment purposes only by the company in which they will actually perform their work.
A mechanism for enhanced supervision of companies providing foreign labour services is also planned.
The plan further proposes amendments to the Road Traffic Law requiring third-country nationals to obtain an EU driving licence if driving is necessary for performing their duties for a company registered in the European Union.
Mechanisms would also be introduced to test the actual driving skills of third-country drivers invited to work in Latvia, regardless of the driving licences they obtained in third countries.
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