The Latvian Interior institutions respond promptly to any asylum seeker's request for asylum and, given the situation in Belarus, its nationals are no exception, said Minister for the Interior Sandis Ģirģens about the reception of refugees and migration issues in Latvia.
However, in the interests of national security, there is an obligation to check every asylum seeker, regardless of his or her nationality. Asylum seekers receive permits promptly, but there are also rare cases where a permit to cross the border takes ten hours.
One of the reasons tends to be that the vehicle documents are not in order. On the other hand, if the asylum seeker does not have a place to stay, they are provided with the opportunity to take refuge in the accommodation center "Muceniekos". The accommodation center currently accommodates 15 asylum seekers from Belarus.
To date, no asylum seeker in Belarus from Belarus who has applied after the presidential elections in Belarus has been refused asylum or rehabilitation in Latvia. The National Coordination Center of the State Border Guard receives specific and secure information about each asylum seeker, which includes data on their passports and visas, border crossing point and time of entry. The National Focal Point receives information on asylum seekers from Belarus only from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and non-governmental organizations, so reports from other sources are not considered serious for security reasons. The Minister also reminded that the new Immigration Law has been drafted and submitted for approval, which provides for shortening the period during which asylum seekers may not work from six to three months.
"There are different opinions in the Parliament on migration issues, the changes are going to be difficult, therefore the result is not expected in the short term. Currently, the services of the Ministry of the Interior, the Citizenship and Migration Service and the State Border Guard are working efficiently and in accordance with security requirements, ”said Ģirģens.
The Minister hopes that the processes in Belarus will stabilize in the near future and that no violence against its citizens will be used.
An asylum seeker in Latvia is a person who has submitted an application for the granting of refugee or alternative status. Refugee status can be granted if a person fears persecution in his or her country of citizenship or country of previous residence.
On the other hand, a person may be granted alternative status if there is reason to believe that the person is in danger of death or corporal punishment, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in the country of his or her nationality. Alternative status may also be granted if, due to external or internal armed conflicts, the person needs protection and cannot return to his or her country of citizenship or previous country of residence (if the person is stateless).
Prepared:
Alice Snegireva
Adviser to the Minister of the Interior on
Communication matters
E-mail: alise.snegireva@iem.gov.lv