Latvia: Nearly 1,000 Russians may have to leave: migration agency

Latvia’s Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) has identified 985 Russian citizens who did not comply with the law on immigration and may therefore have to leave the country, LETA reports. The persons have two weeks to respond to notifications urging them to legalise their status. Some of the persons may already have left Latvia. PMLP director Maira Roze stressed that departures would be voluntary for now, LSM reports. Altogether around 25,000 Russian citizens residing in Latvia were obliged to attest to basic knowledge of Latvian, and 86% of them have applied for new residence permits. Those who failed the language test can still retake the exam within two years. However, around 2,500 have not taken any further action.