Latvia adopts stricter immigration law

Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, on Thursday passed a new immigration law in its final reading, introducing significantly stricter immigration controls and revising the rules governing the entry and residence of third-country nationals.



The law also creates a pathway for foreign nationals to obtain temporary residence permits of up to five years in exchange for investment.



According to the legislators, the new law is designed to establish a clearer and more transparent immigration system while reducing the risks of fraudulent immigration.



Among the key changes, the law strengthens checks on third-country nationals at external borders and introduces a new border return procedure. It also expands the use of biometric data and information-sharing with European Union databases to improve identity verification and security screening.