POLICY REPORT ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM IN LATVIA ...

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Member States of the European Union who are registered with the State Employment Agency
as unemployed persons or persons searching employment. If employment of a third-country
national in Latvia is planned according to a company agreement, a work invitation letter shall
be approved without registration of the vacancy, by coordinating the company agreement and
by submitting documents that certify the employee’s education and qualification. Such an
application shall provide reasons for the employment of the third-country national in
compliance with a company agreement and specify number, positions, professions of the thirdcountry
nationals to be employed as well as place and terms of fulfilment of work.
Regardless of whether it is planned to employ a third-country national on the basis of an
employment contract or company agreement, in order to approve a work invitation letter, the
employer (merchant) or his authorised representative shall submit the following documents to
the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, by enclosing the work invitation letter:
• if the profession of a third-country national is regulated – a copy of a qualification
acknowledgment certificate or a similar document certifying the compliance of the
professional qualification with the requirements set in the Republic of Latvia;
• if the profession of a third-country national is not regulated – a legalised copy of an
education document or a document certifying three-year experience in the profession in
which the employer plans to employ the third-country national, by enclosing translation
into the official language certified in accordance with stipulated procedure. 50
Since there is a high unemployment level in Latvia as a result of economic crisis and,
until now at least, Latvia has not been a country of destination of highly qualified labour force,
the demand to vacancies of low qualified labour at the moment is satisfied by local labour
force.
In order to adopt the provisions of Council Directive of No.2009/50/EC 25 May 2009
on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of highly
qualified employment, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs has prepared Draft law
"Amendment to the Law On Status of Permanent Resident of the European Community in the
Republic of Latvia" 51 . The purpose of the Draft law is the transposition of the provisions of the
above-mentioned Directive, aligning of terminology with the Lisbon Agreement, an
50 Cabinet Regulation No.552 of 21 June 2010 "Procedures for Approval of Invitations and Drawing up of Written
Requests".
51 Draft Law “Amendments to the Law On Status of Permanent Resident of the European Community in the
Republic of Latvia””.//http://www.pmlp.gov.lv/lv/news/normativie_projects.htmlnews_id=583-[see: 05.10.2010]