Why apply for European Blue Card?

The European Blue Card proved potent in offering good work conditions to qualified workers who didn’t have chance to reach full potential and to fully practice their professions in their home countries because of some reasons.

 

In October 2007, the European Commission adopted two proposals for the purpose of the admission of skilled and educated migrants to the EU  (EU Blue Card directive) and directive to simplify migration procedures by funneling applicants into a single application procedure (single permit directive).

What are the benefits?

• European Blue Card isn’t for all. It’s unique in some way. Excluded from the EU Blue Card are OMR and OCT nationals, EU nationals, EEA and EFTA nationals as well as UK, Ireland, Denmark, Japan, Israel, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and USA.
• Working and salary conditions equal to nationals, but it depends mostly on the company you have been admitted in.
• You don’t need to seek employment and worry about financial side, because you must find it before arrival .
• Free movement within the Schengen area (26 Schengen countries).
• Entitlement to a series of socio-economic rights (e.g. unemployment benefit)
• You can give a chance for your family to live, study or travel. If applying simultaneously then you can include them in your online application or they can fill their own online application later.
• Perspective to apply for permanent residence. You must work for 33 months in the hosting state or 21 months while also earning the B1 language certificate which enables you to qualify for the permanent residency permit earlier. Furthermore, if you work in different EU member states and gather 5 years of work experience altogether then you are a strong candidate for the permanent residency permit.
• Age is not an important factor nor strongly considered, but it is good to be around the age of 30-40.

Are you still thinking or acting?

Steps to become foreign worker in Latvia

People shouldn’t age in place when they have idea to see the world and challenge themselves by moving out of the comfort zone. If you want to work in Latvia, everything is possible step by step. 

Steps of procedure:

1. Announcing the vacancy (employer). Before inviting an employee from a non-EU or non-EEA country, an employer must announce the vacant position to the State Employment Agency. The vacant position must be registered in the State Employment Agency for one month before the employer can proceed with submitting request for an invitation.
2. Agreement on conclusion of the employment contract. While the vacant position is announced at the State Employment Agency (30 days), employer and employee can work on an employment contract and collect all the necessary documents.
3. Collecting documents (employer or employee). In order to apply for the residence permit, the foreign worker will need to submit documents to the OCMA.
4. Submitting request for an invitation (employer). 30 days after announcing the vacant position to the State Employment Agency, concluding the employment contract and collecting the necessary documents, the employer can apply for the invitation of the foreign worker. During the next five business days the OCMA will make the decision on the approval of the invitation. In the case if the additional examination is necessary, the employer will be informed, and the decision will take another ten days.
5. Applying for the residence permit with the rights to work (employee). After the invitation is approved, the employee shall submit his application for the residence permit.
6. Notification of the decision
7. Applying for visa to enter in Latvia (employee)
8. Arrival to Latvia

Good luck! Note that consultancy companies have contacts with employer and information about necessary documents. Immigration Europe definitely has!

One of adaptation step is learning language

You immigrate to Latvia and you are so expected about that but something is not so well as you want. It’s language barrier.

86 % of people in Latvia speak Latvian as a mother tongue or foreign language. 63 % know Russian. Of course, Latvians use English and German but not all know foreign languages, for example, old generation.

If you are foreigner who wants to live in Latvia more useful will be to learn Latvian.

We suggest you some ways to learn Latvian.

Latvia offers free Latvian courses through projects at least twice a year. You also can find non-free courses that could be in group or individual and for different purpose.

It’s possible to find and visit  “Language cafe” organized by libraries, NGO. In the cafe you also can meet new people and make new friends.

Listen radio and TV channels. Brilliant chance to be informed, get information and to explore culture.

Read all texts that you see and buy magazines to read articles again and again. You can write down unknown words and search for translation.

Learn language not only through speaking but also through singing. Don’t be shy to train your tongue muscles that way. Latvians are singing nation.

Language is all around you. Brick by brick and the language barrier will be broken. As soon you will learn Latvian as faster you can pass language exam for A2 that is necessary for permanent residence residence permit.

How does Escrow work?

What is Escrow?

The escrow account is a legal concept that describes a financial instrument with which an asset belongs to a third party on behalf of two other parties that are currently completing the transaction. The escrow agent holds the assets or assets until it receives the appropriate instructions or until the pre-defined contractual obligations are fulfilled. Cash, securities, funds and other assets may be held in an escrow.

How does Escrow work?

When you buy a house, many thousands of dollars have to change hands, and no one wants to be scammed. Sellers often want you to earn "serious money" from your market, but you don't want them to take the money and operate. The solution is to deposit money with a neutral third party account. Then you and the seller know that none of you can return without losing access to money.

The way escrows are conducted in your company is geared towards standard real estate practices, not strict and fast rules. These practices determine whether an escrow agent is a lawyer, a proprietor or a professional business. The start of the escrow begins when an account is created and the funds are deposited. When you earn money, it is the first deposit to be credited to your account. Later in the final process, your lender's mortgage loan is also credited to your account.

As with the choice of an escrow agent, the escrow procedure varies according to local practice. Typically, the escrow agent will track the sales progress as you and the homeowner jump through the relevant hoops: performing any agreed repairs, paying for title page searches, providing insurance. Escrow agent fees are about 1 or 2 per cent of the purchase price. You or the seller may terminate the fee depending on whether it is the buyer's or seller's market, and depending on the standard procedures used in your area.

When everything goes smoothly, the escrow agent appears at the time of closing and distributes the account funds. You will get an act and the agent closes the account. When things break down, the agent handles the money accordingly: if you get cold feet and decide not to buy, the deal agent turns your earned money into a seller. If the name search appears a fatal error that kills the transaction, the lender withdraws the money from the account without loss. and you get your money back. After paying the money, the agent closes the account.

Has document legalization become simpler?

If you plan to prove validity of your documents, it is calling legalization. The issue of bureaucracy and next necessary steps connected with  documents stops against the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Documents of 5 October 1961.

If your country has joined Convention, your documents that issued by this country must be authenticated with an Apostille by the competent institution of the relevant foreign country.

If not than documents must be legalised by the competent institution of the foreign ministry or a diplomatic/consular mission and then – by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Public documents issued in countries with an increased risk of terrorism or illegal immigration could increase the duration of the legalisation process. If we take a look on state fee for legalization of a public document, cost would be  is 15,00 euro within two working days, within two hours - 30,00 euro.

Documents cannot be legalized if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not have at its disposal a specimen signature of the undersigning official and a sample of the relevant seal or stamp of the foreign country.

From 1st April, 2019 if you want to submit public documents from Ukraine, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Moldova, the Kyrgyz Republic submitted to The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, documents must be legalized or certified by an Apostille by foreign competent authority. For example, documents issued in Uzbekistan you can legalize in Embassy of Uzbekistan in Latvia. It will cost you 40 $.

Other news are that The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Latvia made possible to check validity of the issued Apostille online . What a great service to check validity of documents at some points.

Actually, it is not difficult to legalize documents if you follow certain plan.

Welcome to Latvia, guest workers!

Latvia has problem and it is lack of staff. Country looks quite attractive for people from third countries with lower wage level. Actually, EU countries compete for professionals.

Latvia offers more than 2 options to work in Lavia on legally bases. It is visa and residence permit. Other option is to apply for Blue Card.

If foreigner’s employment is related with short term or occasional residence in the Republic of Latvia, which does not exceed 90 days within half a year, the foreigner is obliged to receive a visa or temporary residence permit and work permit.

The total number of issued work permits in Latvia is constantly increasing. Over the last seven years, the total number of employment permits issued by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) to third-country nationals has more than quadrupled. In 2012 it was 2529, but in 2018 - 11359.

The TOP 5 quest workers in Latvia by countries:

1. Ukraine
2. Belarus
3. Russia
4. India
5. Uzbekistan

According to OCMA, guest workers in the freight sector, are programmers or consultants permits, construction, vehicle manufacturing and public catering.  People with higher or at least vocational education are coming to Latvia most often, but others have secondary education.

At the moment, any company in Latvia can hire foreigner if companies follow some criteria. For example, the salary may not be lower than the average wage in the country. In the case of "Blue Cards", the average salary with a factor of 1.2..Of course, process of hiring foreigners have some differences.The government continue to discuss about changes in procedure of issuing residence permits and visas to quest workers.

If you have questions about steps to get residence permit based on work, contact us.

Declaration or “Where do you plan to live?”

It is very important question that you should answer before you apply for visa or residence permit. 
You can't leave it for better time, because The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA)
definitely will ask you to do it.

In accordance with the provisions of Declaration of Place of Residence Law, the following persons have
 a duty to declare a place of residence:

• a Latvian citizen;
• non-citizen;
• a citizen of the Member State of the European Union, European Economic Area State and
   Swiss Confederation and his or her family members who has received a registration certificate
  or permanent residence certificate issued in the Republic of Latvia;
• a foreigner who has received a residence permit issued in Latvia;
• a stateless person who has received a residence permit issued in the Republic of Latvia.

A person have to do it one month.

A person may declare the place of residence:

1.in the local institution, where the new place of residence of the person is located;
2.electronically on the portal www.latvija.lv, by using the e-service “Submission of the 
declaration of the place of residence”
    3.in the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs

On the one hand, OCMA gives you options how you can declare your residence place. 
On the other hand, if you can’t declare through the portal www.latvija.lv when you apply for 1st time,
OCMA asks to do it at once in Office. A person shall pay the State fee in the amount of 4.27 euro.

Would you like to know, what documents should you prepare to prove that you have right to declare
 in a chosen place?