Amendments to Latvia’s immigration law took effect April 29, allowing authorities to revoke temporary residency permits for repeated administrative offenses.
Under the new provisions, a permit can be revoked if its holder has been held administratively liable three times within the past year for violations related to public order, governance, road traffic, or the protection of children’s rights.
Such violations include, according to the Latvian public broadcaster LSM, aggressive behavior, inflicting minor bodily harm, displaying totalitarian regime symbols in a public place, sexual misconduct, and traffic violations.
Revocation will not be automatic — authorities must review each case individually before any action is taken.
Latvia’s immigration law lists more than 30 grounds for revoking a temporary residence permit in total. Some were added in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — among them, a permit can be lost for providing “significant” support to countries that “pose a threat to the sovereignty of democratic states.”
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