The number of asylum seekers continues to increase and in many cases their requests are unfounded

Data on asylum seekers in Latvia show that the number is not only growing, but even doubling. In 2023, 1,624 people applied for asylum in Latvia – almost three times as many as in 2022 and 11 times as many as in 2020.

This year, 562 people have applied for asylum.

The main countries of origin of asylum seekers are Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, India and Iraq. As of the end of August, 26 citizens of different countries applied for asylum in 2022, 51 in 2023 and 36 in 2024.

In order to ensure that asylum procedures are conducted efficiently, such as interviewing asylum seekers and making decisions based on the criteria set out in asylum law, it is necessary to thoroughly research the situation in the respective country, even if the asylum seeker’s application seems to be unfounded at first glance. If the government does not have prior knowledge of the problems in a particular country, researching the situation in different countries often takes more time.

This growing trend has created major challenges and a huge administrative burden for the Authority, which is responsible for implementing and managing the asylum procedure and accommodating asylum seekers during the asylum procedure, either at the Accommodation Centre for Asylum Seekers in Musenekos or at the Asylum Seekers’ Shelter in Lipna.

In addition, the secondary movement of asylum seekers should also be mentioned. People often arbitrarily leave the agency’s asylum seeker accommodation center and go to another country without waiting for a decision. Usually, these people are deported, thus renewing the asylum application examination process.

In order to assess whether a person should be granted refugee status (a person who has a reasonable fear of persecution in his or her country of origin because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group) or alternative status (a person who faces a risk of serious harm in his or her country of origin, such as the death penalty or execution, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, inhuman or degrading punishment, a serious threat to personal life or health due to widespread violence. International or internal armed conflict), interviews, rigorous screening efforts, and security screening are carried out.

About 20% of people are granted one of these statuses, but their asylum applications are often unfounded. In case of rejection, in order not to be deported from Latvia, people mostly use legal aid, appeal the decision of the Immigration Service to the court (223 applications have been filed to the court this year), and after a negative court decision, they again file a request for asylum (98 such applications have been filed this year).

Therefore, these people try to prolong their stay in Latvia, sometimes also to work here. It is totally unacceptable to legalize these people, especially considering that they arrived in Latvia through illegal immigration from Belarus.

Most often, people who obtain one of these identities use it to travel to another European country. Latvia is still not a target country for most asylum seekers, but it is a target country for organizers of hybrid warfare.

It should always be remembered that conclusions can be drawn only after studying all circumstances, so the management respects and balances international and Latvian legal norms and responsibilities towards Latvian citizens throughout the asylum process.

Human dignity, life and public safety – this is a great responsibility that imposes obligations on all parties involved. It must be remembered that some people are truly persecuted in their home countries and need help – asylum. At the same time, asylum seekers are obliged to always provide truthful information about the reasons and circumstances of their request for asylum.

Securing the asylum procedure is the duty and responsibility of the state. The sense of responsibility, responsiveness and respect of asylum seekers for the Latvian state, Latvian people and laws make the asylum procedure easier for all involved.

In order to emphasize the values ​​that are the basis of a successful asylum procedure, the Government has launched an information campaign “Humanity, Responsibility, Responsibility”. The aim of the campaign is to promote public understanding of the asylum procedure in Latvia and educate asylum seekers about their obligations and rights during the asylum procedure in Latvia.

Campaign materials and more information about the campaign’s goals and importance Look on the website.

* The campaign “Humanity, Responsibility, Responsibility” has been launched and financed by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund for the period 2021-2027. The year program project number is in the framework of PMLP/PMIF/2023/2 “Support measures for reception and accommodation of persons in need of international protection in Latvia (Phase I)”.