POLICY REPORT ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM IN LATVIA ...

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In order to introduce the requirements of the Visa Code, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
will, in cooperation with the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, amendments to the
Immigration Law for submission thereof to the Stat Chancellery. The said amendment to the
Law would provide the procedure for motivation of refusing a visa as well as appeal against
refusal.
ASYLUM
10 International Protection
10.1 European Pact on Immigration and Asylum (1-2 paragraphs in the text box created for
each commitment)
The relevant commitments in the Pact for this sub-section are in particular:
IV(c) solidarity with MS which are faced with specific and disproportionate pressures on their
national asylum systems:
Please provide information on support provided to Member States experiencing specific
and disproportionate pressures on their national asylum systems, with regard to the
processing of requests for international protection. This could include seconding staff and
sending resources or equipment.
Latvia has not provided assistance to Member States of the European Union which have
experienced disproportionately large pressures to their national asylum systems caused by the
number of asylum seekers. At the same time, Latvia supports the solidarity policy of the
European Union regarding the need for voluntary activities, and the possible participation of
Latvia in assisting Member States of the European Union may be assessed in the future, with
the view to the course of development of the EU asylum policy.
Please describe any action undertaken with regard to the reallocation from Member
States experiencing specific and disproportionate pressures of beneficiaries of
international protection to other Member States. This relates to intra-EU movements, for
example, as part of EU projects.
Until now, Latvia has not engaged in activities associated with resettlement of persons
who have received international protection in a Member State of the European Union. At the
same time, Latvia supports the solidarity policy of the European Union regarding the need for
voluntary activities in order to provide international protection to member states faced with
specific and disproportionate pressures in the national asylum system.
IV(d) strengthen cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees to ensure better protection for people outside the territory of European Union
Member States who request protection, in particular by moving, on a voluntary basis, towards
the resettlement within the European Union
Please describe resettlement activities to your Member State of people placed under the
protection of the Office of the UNHCR in third countries, specifying from which
countries.