Vladimir Buzaev tells that on September 13 the amendments to the Law on Immigration with regard to the issue of residence permits for citizens of the Russian Federation are ready to be tabled for the second reading which was held that day.
Vladimir Buzaev tells that the government having received perplexed letters from a number of influential human rights organizations decided to avoid the mass explusion of people prohibited by international law and at the last moment asked the Parliament to change paragraph 58 of the Transition Rules to the Law on Immigration due to its absolute notoriety outside Latvia.
Initially the norm proposed for the new wording of this paragraph demanded from all people who changed their status of Latvian citizen or non-citizen to the citizenship of Russian Federation after May 1, 2003 to submit a certificate proving their knowldge of the Latvian language at the level not lower than A2. Those who failed to comply with such a requirement were threatened with their permanent residence permits being anulled, their pensions and other types of social benefits being cancelled. They would be expected to ”voluntarily” leave Latvia within 90 days.
The law was amended in April this year for the first time. Then appeared the right to take a language exam once again in case of failure. Besides, those who asked for a time slot to take the exam on time, automatically had their residents permits prolonged until December 31, 2023.
However, two additional requirements were introduced to the citizens of the Russian Federation. They were required to ensure permanent income no less than 620 euro per month in the course of the last year. They were also required to permanently live in Latvia in the course of the last five years (no more than 10 months of absence during this period).
Vladimir Buzaev points out that he personally has been lobbying for the recognition of a pension as ”sufficient source of income” and the right to take the language exam once again since long ago in his capacity of the co-chair of the Latvian Human Rights Committee and a member of the Riga city council representing the Latvian Russian Union.
The new amendments as of September this year tabled by the government propose to remove the requirements to ensure the norms of the ”source of income” and of the continuous residence for those who succeeded in passing the exam or who were recongnised as not capable to take it. As for those who do not pass the exam, the government proposes to issue urgent residence permits valid for the next two years during which they are required to pass the exam or leave Latvia.
Vladimir Buzaev has been thoroughly following all the aspects of this situation for long. He tells that the bill very accurately recreates all the proposals that he himself submitted to the Seimas back in April which referred to lifting restrictions on income and the duration of living in Latvia, as well as amendments worked out by Miroslav Mitrofanov, the co-chairman of the Latvian Russian Union, proposing to issue a temporary 5-year-long residence permit to persons who have not passed the exam.
Vladimir Buzaev stresses that they ”have not limited their work to sending letters and tabling amendments to the Parliament”. He tells that thanks to Tatjana Zdanoka who represents the party at the level of the European Parliament as well as thanks to a wide network developed by the Latvian Human Rights Committee all the intergovernmental and international organizations have been notified about the current developments. All these communiquations have been developed by Julia Sohina representing the Latvian Human Rights Committee. Vladimir Buzaev points out, ”Therefore, the proposals initially rejected by the Parliament of Latvia were just simply boomeranged back to the government.”
On September 7th, the Bill on the Amendments to the Law on Immigration was approved by the majority of the Latvian parliamentarians. The term to submit the amendments to the second reading of the Law expired on September 11.
Vladimir Buzaev tells of the attempt made by parliamentarian Svetlana Chulkova to resubmit Ainars Slesers’ amendments from April which would make persons over 65 years of age exempt from the language test (not 75, as the law states now).
Vladimir Buzaev has also submitted the amendment which supports the government’s proposal introduced under pressure from the West to provide people who fail to appear to take the language exam with the second chance. Meanwhile, the bill offers a two-year probationary period only to those who came to take the exam. Vladimir Buzaev tells that he just offered to support Krisjanis Karins’ idea and “hopes for reciprocity”.
The Latvian Parliament is to make the final decision on October 14.
