The expert seminar “Migration, Integration, Europeanization – old and new challenges for policies and actors. The case of Baltic States”, which took place in Warsaw on June 27. The seminar was the final conference in the project Migration as a part of a policy for increased competitiveness, funded by the Swedish Institute and comprising a cooperation between think tanks and research institutes working with migration and integration in the Baltic Sea region. The conference was arranged in collaboration with demosEUROPA, The Institute of Social Policy at University of Warsaw, and Norden Centrum in Warsaw.

1. 5
Migration and integration: the
case of Latvia
Dace Akule, policy researcher,
Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS

2. Latvia’s population
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Foreigners, %
Non-citizens, %
Citizens, %
Source: Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs

3. Migration balance
-60000
-40000
-20000
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Immigration
Emigration
Migration ballance
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics

4. Immigration stock
Source: Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs
23527
24516
25466
26976
29487
30820
33055
34354
36249
42054
44328
47391
6676
6886
7547
7429
8003
9656
12815
14715
13785
13557
15957
187160
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
50000
200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013
Permanent Residence Permits
Temporary Residence Permits

5. 1821
1846
2631
2437
2212
2154
1896
2061
2396
2928
4831
4609
2388
2495
4824
6171
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011
First-time issued temporary residence
permits
Source: Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs

6. Number of issued permits by reason of entry
981
3048
460
342
907
2836
529
337
586
908
472
342
574
854
534
533
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
2007 2008 2009 2010
Family
reunification
Employment
Studies
Other
Source: Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs

7. Origin of immigrants in 2012
2534
605
277
197
191
102
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
Russia Ukraine Belarus Kazakhstan Uzbekistan Turkey
Source: Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs

8. Stock of foreigners in 2013
Russia 44586
Lithuania 4031
Ukraine 3735
Belarus 2318
Germany 1536
Estonia 1025
Bulgaria 698
Sweden 564
Poland 527
United Kingdom 518
United States of America 505
Kazakhstan 466
Uzbekistan 444
Source: Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs

9. Labour immigration
• Employment becomes more popular reason for residence in
Latvia: 40-45% of residents with temporary permits in 2008-2010.
• If only 2000 foreigners acquired a work permit in 2005, the
number exceeded 4000 in 2007.
• Top countries: Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Top sectors:
manufacturing, transport and logistics, trade and repair. Most
dramatic drop in demand for migrant workers was in construction
sector – 36% work permit in 2007, and only 3% in 2010.
• Pull factors – labour or skills shortages in specific sectors (also due
to emigration), cultural and linguistic, geographic proximity. More
important than comparatively low income levels (compared to EU
average).

10. Labour immigration: sectors
374 380
163
283
331
555
631
1734
719
360
449
10541085
628
1081
295
426
962
625
82
503
234
312
684
271
220
144 151
1406
13
20
664
111
45
234
158
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
Manufacturing
industry
Construc-
tion service
Transportation IT, science Trade Other
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Source: Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs

11. Labour immigration
• Access to labour market depends on purpose of immigration and
type or residence permit (e.g. free access to family reunification
migrants who joined a citizen, non-citizen or permanent resident;
restricted to labour immigrants), knowledge of Latvian language.
• Third country nationals recruited by employers to work in Latvia
are linked to the employer who invited them, with no option to
freely change employers or their employment position within the
company (new work permit needed).
• If migrant worker with a temporary residence permit become
unemployed, his/ her residence permit is cancelled and the persons
needs to leave the country.
• These persons are also not entitled to unemployment benefits and
services.

12. Labour immigration
• Legislation stipulates that migrant workers must receive at least
the average national gross monthly salary of the previous year –
481 LVL (685 EUR) in 2012. Minimum wage in 2013 set at 200 LVL
(285 EUR). Plan to increase to 225 LVL (320 EUR) in 2014. Protection
of low-skilled local labour, but also leaving the low-skilled jobs to
the locals.
• No formal work permit quotas, but the procedure and costs
related to recruiting third country nationals were higher than in
Estonia and Lithuania, and possessed a serious obstacle.
• Changes in July 2008 – decreasing costs, establishing ‘one-stop
agency’ for work permits. Employer had to pay a monthly fee of 35
LVL (50 EUR) for recruiting a third country national. In 2008 this
became an annual fee, and in 2010 it was waived altogether.

13. Policy?
• In 2007 government failed to adopt a migration policy document
due to lack of interest in this issue (nationalistic party among
coalition parties). The same situation in the present, when
government’s action plan includes a goal of adopting a migration
policy paper in 2013.
• The action plan says that the aim is to establish a balanced system
for the entry of foreigners that is in line with Latvia’s interests and
facilitates economic growth. Based on this paper, new immigration
legislation should also be adopted by the end of 2013.
• Also need to evaluate the norm allowing third country nationals to
get a temporary residence permit for 5 years after a purchase of a
real estate (price tag for Riga, Riga region and other cities: 100,000
LVL, other places: 50,000 LVL)

14. Policy?
• Ministry of Economy has estimated that approximately 120
thousand jobs would be created by 2030 as a result of economic
growth. Additional 100 thousand jobs would become vacant due to
the elder generation leaving the labour market.
• Who will fill these vacancies? Competition for human resources
with other EU countries and beyond. Why would people choose
Latvia?
• Working on the return of Latvians having emigrated. A plan to
facilitate return migration adopted in the government in January
2013. But return migration mostly depends on the general socio-
economic situation of Latvia.
• Surveys show that 65% of emigrants don’t plan to return in the
near future (5 years).

15. How large threats do the following aspects cause to
Latvia?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100
%
Latvia's inhabitants emigrate
Latvia loses its economic independence since large
foreigncompanies take overandforce locals outof
People fromothercountries come toLatvia tolookfor
a betterlife
Traditional moral standards change due tostandards
thatcome fromothercountries andregions
The arrival of different(untraditional toLatvia)
religion
The arrival of differentcultures andtraditions
Mixedmarriages betweenLatvia's inhabitants and
people of differentetchnicities andskincolor
verylarge threat
small threat
nothreatatall
difficulttosay/no
answer
Source: Market research centre SKDS. ‘Nacionālo ideju popularitāte sabiedrībā, Latvijas iedzīvotāju aptauja’ (Popularity of nationalistic
ideas among the population. A survey of Latvia’s inhabitants), July 2012, commissioned by the Alliance of European Conservatives and
Reformists.

16. What is your attitude towards the willingness of people from
other countries to come to work and live in Latvia?
Source: DnB Nord Latvijas barometrs, survey conducted on February 2011, N= 1005 Latvia’s inhabitants, respondents could agree to multiple statements

17. From which countries or groups of countries would it
be desirable to let in immigrants from? %
Source: Market research centre SKDS. ‘Nacionālo ideju popularitāte sabiedrībā, Latvijas iedzīvotāju aptauja’ (Popularity of nationalistic
ideas among the population. A survey of Latvia’s inhabitants), July 2012, commissioned by the Alliance of European Conservatives and
Reformists.
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Difficult to say/ no answer
Immigration should not be allowed under no
circumstances
Other countries
African countries
India
China
Countries of Middle East
Other countries of NIS
Russia, Belarus, Ukraine
EU countries

18. Attitudes towards migrants’ impact on social and
economic processes
Source: NI: Dimensijas. Vēsturiskā atmiņa. LU SZF. Survey conducted in 2010, N= 1004 Latvia’s inhabitants, % of respondents according to ethnic origin
(identification), “absolutely agree” and “rather agree” answers were summed up. Quoted in: Human Development report of Latvia 2010/2011

19. • Latvians behave as the “endangered majority”: everyone should live where they were
born
• 18% Latvians think that citizenship should not be granted to people who want to keep
their traditions and culture, 7% Russians agree. 36% Latvians think that citizenship
should not be granted to migrants, 15% Russians agree. (2010 survey, LU)
• Cultural and linguistic assimilation?!
• 70% do not support state budget expenditure on immigrant integration, thus the
main funding source remains the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country
Nationals (75% EU funding, 25% national co-funding; activities since 2009 are sporadic
due to institutional changes)
• Since 2009 the institutional responsibility for migrant integration policy has changed 4
times!
Public opinion

20. • Comparing the
legislation of 31
European and North
American countries,
Latvia’s situation was
evaluated as the
least favourable for
migrants and their
children (2011 study,
data for May 2010)
• Latvia has projects,
but no coherent
strategy on migrant
integration
• Catching up, but not
enough: still last of all
31 countries (keeping
the worst record as
in the 2007 study)
www.mipex.eu
Migrant integration policy index (MIPEX)

21. Conclusions
• Question about people: who will live in Latvia? Whom do we want
to live in Latvia? How do we manage public services with limited
resources – weaker provision of services, higher taxes, or more
people contributing their resources?
• To enhance the return of Latvians, the society needs to realize and
be ready to increasing diversity of Latvia’s population, with spouses
from other countries and more ‘mixed’ children living in Latvia.
• Immigration is inevitable, a reality. Need to manage risks, mainly
due to lack of policies and negative public attitudes thanks to the
Soviet migration experience, integration of Russian-speaking
population, especially as the majority of migrants come from Russia,
Ukraine and Belarus able to survive without learning Latvian
language.

22. • Experience with the Russian-speaking population in Latvia has shown that we
should not build isolated communities. We need cooperation instead of
parallel worlds. But we don’t need melting pots or 2 salad bowls.
• Communities developing together, but people keeping their own chosen
identities. Practicing that all people living in a country are shaping this
community.
• Need to ensure equal rights and responsibilities – paying taxes, observing
legislation, participating in decision making (only citizens are allowed to vote in
local (municipality) elections; consultative council for immigrant integration
established in 2013)
• Need to support people learning Latvian language while also keeping the
knowledge of mother tongue
• Need to support access to public services and institutions (migrants don’t
know the local situation!)
• Need more open citizenship policies – newly born, high school graduates,
dual citizenship (adopted in May 2013)
Conclusions