Every day, people from different countries come to Latvia, and the number of residence permits and work visas is increasing. The motives of migrants are varied — re-emigration, job-seeking, studying or fleeing danger. For whatever reason, these people have chosen Latvia as their new home. As of 1 July 2024, according to the data of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA), 129,794 residence permits were valid for foreign citizens in Latvia. This shows that the number of permits has increased by 18% over the last year and a half, with 89,520 residence permits valid on 1 January 2023.

The number of residence permits is also increasing in the European Union (EU). In 2023, according to Eurostat, more than 3.7 million first residence permits were issued to EU citizens from non-EU countries, which is by 4.7% more than in 2022 and the highest number ever recorded. Employment remained the main reason for issuing residence permits in the EU last year, accounting for 33.8% (1.3 million) of all first residence permits issued. In Latvia, the figure was 3,838 or 37.7%.

At the same time, Latvia has an untapped labour potential of foreigners, especially third-country nationals. For example, at the beginning of this year, the data collected by the Ministry of Economy show that around 24,000 Ukrainians currently residing in Latvia are of working age, but the records of the State Revenue Service show that only 8,700 Ukrainian nationals were registered as employees. Learning the Latvian language is an essential prerequisite for the successful integration of citizens of other countries into the labour market. In order to increase the labour market participation of third-country nationals and facilitate faster acquisition of the Latvian language, it is important to provide early support during the initial integration phase. The Integration and Inclusion Agency of the Society Integration Fund (SIF) is a support point where you can find out about opportunities and life in Latvia, as well as receive individual support to start your life.

The SIF Integration and Inclusion Agency for new entrants to Latvia invites media representatives to a public discussion on the challenges of starting life in Latvia, as well as on current issues related to migration, employment and learning the Latvian language at 11:00 on Thursday, 10 October at the Agenskalns Market “Siltumnīca”, Nometņu Street 64.

Participants:

• Agnese Lāce, Minister for Culture of the Republic of Latvia
• Kristīne Kļukoviča, Director of the SIF Cohesion Measures Coordination Department
• Inese Saldābola, Head of the SIF Integration and Inclusion Agency for new entrants to Latvia
• Javier Garcia, a Mexican living in Latvia, chef
• Claudio Rivera, an Argentinian living in Latvia, Director of the Riga Business School Bachelor Programme
• Linda Jākobsone-Gavala, Member of the Board of the Association “I Want to Help Refugees”
• Kaspars Gorkšs, Director General of the Employers’ Confederation of Latvia

Moderator: Kristīne Garklāva.

The media will have the opportunity to take part in the discussion and ask questions, and experts will be available for interviews.