LATVIA: New Immigration law

The Ministry of Interior has prepared and submitted several legal enactments to be reviewed by the meeting of State Secretaries. These prescribe the basic principles for providing assistance to victims of human trafficking who are not European Union citizens. These projects will ensure that Latvian legislation complies with both the European Council?s Convention on fighting human trafficking and the Council?s directive 2004/81/EC (April 29, 2004) on residence permits. The latter are issued to nationals of third countries who are victims of human trafficking and to those who have been involved in activities which promote illegal immigration and who are now cooperating with competent establishments. The draft law prescribes the procedure and terms through which non-EU victims of human trafficking can recieve temporary residence permits and benefit from state-paid social rehabilitation services and social assistance. It also prescribes that a non-EU citizen who, on arrival to Latvia, is legally found to be a victim of human trafficking, is granted a 30 day waiting period during which he/she can decide whether to cooperate with competent state authorities in the investigation of their human trafficking case. Amendments to the Immigration law also prescribes that a non EU victim of human trafficking, during the waiting period, is entitled to stay in Latvia without a visa or residence permit. For the moment Latvia has issued more then 1000 permitions for victims of human trafficking. www.latvia.lv