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Considering the shortage of workforce in vital sectors such as manufacturing and construction in the national economy, the Cabinet of Ministers, in its meeting on December 19th, 2023, approved amendments to the procedures for approval of invitations and issuance of invitations. The amendments will ease the requirements for all economic operators planning to employ foreign workers in professions that are not regulated in Latvia.
The existing regulations already stipulate that the submission of a copy of a document certifying education or experience is not required when a foreigner is invited for employment in a profession classified in the 9th main group of the Professions Classifier - simple professions. As a result, invitees (employers) often artificially lowered job groups to avoid this requirement. It should be noted that the invitation application already includes information about the foreigner's education.
In the future, the inviter - employer will no longer need to submit a copy of the foreigner's education document to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs if the foreigner is intended to be employed in a profession that is not regulated in Latvia. This document will be replaced by a self-declaration that the inviter has conducted a job interview with the foreigner regarding the necessary competence for the intended work or, if not, a commitment from the inviter (employer) to train the foreigner.
With the approved changes, the administrative burden on institutions that regularly review applications from employers regarding foreigners - the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs and Latvian diplomatic and consular missions abroad - will also be reduced. Currently, these institutions have to request the mentioned documents and conduct time-consuming verifications of their authenticity, as they face a large number of submitted forged documents, which extends the overall application review time.
The changes approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in the Procedures for Approval of Invitations and Issuance of Invitations are part of a comprehensive package of regulatory changes aimed at reducing the administrative burden for businesses and simplifying the process of attracting foreign labor. In the near future, the Ministry of Economics plans to submit amendments to the Immigration Law to the Cabinet for consideration, with the aim of restricting unscrupulous employers - invitees of foreign labor, by including provisions that the company can attract foreign labor only if the employer has published an open vacancy with the State Employment Agency, as well as amendments to the Cabinet Regulations No. 55 of April 25, 2017, "Regulations on the Employment of Foreigners," stipulating that the financial means necessary for the foreign workforce should be at least equal to the average gross monthly remuneration of workers in the Republic of Latvia. It is also planned to introduce criteria for a 'green corridor' for conscientious entrepreneurs to reduce administrative burden and expedite administrative processes in matters related to attracting labor.