POLICY REPORT ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM IN LATVIA ...

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compliance with VIS Roll-out, by introducing the CVIS, it will be necessary to start the taking
of biometric data of visa applicants in the region of Northern Africa where the embassy of the
Republic of Latvia in Egypt is situated. In the next stage, the taking of biometric data of visa
applicants will be started in the Middle East region where embassy of the Republic of Latvia in
Israel is situated. The said embassies have purchased equipment for taking fingerprints of visa
applicants and, as soon as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs receives the software applicant from
the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs required for linking the biometric data
equipment with the National Visa Information System (NVIS), as well as required training to
use the equipment in practice, the biometric data taking equipment will be tested.
In 2010, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs worked for the successful
implementation of project "Development of the national VIS by ensuring the compliance of it
with the final technical documentation of the European Commission and provision of required
training to the users of the system" under the External Border Fund Programme 2009. In 2010,
within the framework of the project, an agreement was signed on the improvement of the
National Visa Information System, VisMail and Vision 133 , functionality, the first tests were
made with other Member States for testing the software. It is planned to develop a pilot project
of an e-questionnaire until the end of April 2011, and it is planned to start training in 2011 for
practical work with the Central Visa Information System and the National Visa Information
System in order to acquire the visa issuance process.
On 12 November 2010, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs signed an
agreement regarding development of a new electronic service: electronic application for a
Schengen visa, in order to ease the work of consular missions. It is planned to test the service in
a pilot project in June 2011, the other signed agreement provides the development of a new
system of invitations with completion date June 2011.
On 25 November 2010, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs announced a
procurement tender for the modernization of the National Visa Information System, in order to
purchase necessary equipment within the framework of the project and to start using the
equipment, according to the provisions of the Visa Code, necessary for taking biometric data
and reading of electronic travel documents. 134
Latvia as the Member State of the European Union and Schengen Agreement continues
its active participation in the cooperation for consular matters among the Member States of the
133 VisMail and Vision – consultation mechanisms about Schengen visas.
134 Information provided by officials of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.