POLICY REPORT ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM IN LATVIA ...

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Programme 2008, and it supported activities focused on access to knowledge and resources for
special groups of third-country nationals who are in less favourable position, to increase their
self-esteem regarding participation in the communities and to develop strategies to overcome
any obstacles and to gain control over their surrounding environment. 3 projects were
implemented within the framework of the said activity. Foundation "Social service agency
"Family Crisis Centre"" implemented project "Integrēties is viegli!" (“Integration Is Easy!”)
where a service programme and methodology was developed for the target group of the project
- third-country nationals – women and children, 48 educational sessions for women and
children were organised and lead, individual consultations were provided by a lawyer, social
worker and psychologist to women from third countries, 2 cross-cultural dialogue round-table
discussions were organised, as well as 2 training camps were organised for the target group of
the project.
The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs implemented project "Support to
repatriates – third-country nationals" where assistance was provided to 57 families of
repatriates (totally 138 persons). Support was provided in 197 cases: 20 repatriates acquired the
Latvian language, computer training was given to 14 repatriates, professional courses were
ensured for 6 repatriates to help in searching for employment, aid was given to 4 repatriates for
payment of study fee in educational establishments of Latvia, an integration camp was
organised for children of repatriates with 17 children as participants.
Society "Developments aģentūra "Pieci"" (Development Agency “Five”) implemented
project "Atvērti integrācijai!" (“Open to Integration!”) where the Integration Centre for
Children was established. The Centre has organised psychological support groups for 24
mothers, educational sessions for 12 children, educational sessions for 36 mothers, integration
activities for children have been organised.
In order to ensure integration and access to language courses, within the framework of
Programme 2008 Activity "Develop programmes and activities for the purpose of promoting
adjustment of third-country nationals to the receiving society and to help them in acquisition of
main knowledge about the language, history, institutions, social and economic situation, culture
life, etc.", the Ministry of Education and Science, the Office of Citizenship and Migration
Affairs and the Latvian Language Agency as cooperation partners implemented, during the
period from 1 December 2009 till 30 June 2009, the project financed by the European Third-
Country National Integration Fund "Development of the Latvian language e-training course for
the promotion of education and access to the labour market for third-country nationals".
Within the framework of the project, an electronic training programme has been
developed which helps third-country nationals to acquire the Latvian language according to the
European language level A1 and afterwards also A2, simultaneously by acquiring knowledge
about the state of Latvia, its history, geography and social life, thus promoting additionally the
integration of an individual in society. The training course was focused on trainees who have
knowledge as the Russian language as the bridge language. Totally 40 sessions of interactive
language training has been prepared in the course, with self-test possibilities. The developed
electronic languages training course is available to the public on the portal of Latvian schools
of the Ministry of Education and Science from 1 July 2010. Russian was chosen as the bridge
language in this project because, according to statistics on migration, the number of speakers of
the said language in Latvia among the third-country nationals here is the highest: as of 1
January 2009, there were 8,002 representatives of the target group residing in Latvia – citizens
of third countries with temporary residence permits, including 6,523 or 81.5% with the
knowledge of Russian as the native tongue or the bridge language.
In 2011, it is planned to implement the Programme 2009 of the European Third-
Country National Integration Fund under the General Programme of Solidarity and
Management of Migration Flows, and to start the implementation of Programme 2010 where