The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has approved in first reading a bill that would oblige foreign workers to serve customers in Lithuanian, BNS reports. Altogether 100 MPs voted in favour, 5 against, and 14 abstained. Under the amendments, the language requirement would only apply to employees who have direct contact with clients. Also, manufacturers, sellers,…
The Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD) denied residence to almost 36,000 foreigners in the first eight months of 2024 after the introduction of tighter rules on immigration, according to the Ministry of Interior, BNS reports. LMD received altogether 67,175 residence permit applications. The number of applications to work in Lithuania from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and…
Ukrainians without temporary protection can now only work in Lithuania if they have a valid residence permit, BNS reports. Previously, Ukrainian nationals with visas were exempt from having to obtain a work permit in Lithuania. The exemption will continue to apply to highly qualified workers. Ukrainian refugees can start working immediately after submitting an application…
Thousands of foreign students will continue or begin their studies at universities in Latvia in the academic year 2024/2025, LSM reports. In 2023/2024, Latvian universities had over 10,000 foreign students from more than 100 countries. At the University of Latvia (LU), foreigners account for 7% of all students at the university. The number of foreign…
The number of temporary residence permits issued to foreigners in Lithuania declined for the first time in the first half of 2024, according to data from the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD), BNS reports. At the same time, the number of permit renewals increased several times. LMD issued 78,121 temporary residence permits to foreigners in six…
The Estonian Defence Ministry has proposed allowing foreign citizens to take part in Estonia’s national defence, military training, and activities of the Estonian Defence League (Kaitseliit) volunteer corps, BNS reports. The proposed changes would allow foreign nationals to enter into contracts with Estonian defence forces for both peacetime and wartime roles. Currently, foreign nationals can…
Lithuania has altogether 2,266 stateless residents, of whom 2,151 have permanent residence permits, according to data from the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD), LRT reports. In 2018, the number of stateless people totalled 3,193. Most of the stateless residents are persons who failed to apply for citizenship after Lithuania regained its independence in 1991. Stateless persons…
Lithuania’s permanent population totalled 2,886,500 people in the beginning of 2024, which was 29,000 (1%) more than in the same period of 2023, according to the State Data Agency (VDA), BNS reports. Around 22,000 permanent residents emigrated from Lithuania in 2023, which was up 44% from 15,300 in 2022. Some 12,000 foreigners and 10,000 Lithuanian…
Estonian ride-hailing service provider Bolt will separate its taxi drivers in Lithuania by language proficiency, ELTA reports. Bolt spokesman Mantas Cizas siad that the company would apply stricter standards to communication and behaviour in the “Bolt” category, requiring that drivers speak fluent Lithuanian or English. Those who fail to do so can continue in the…
