The Constitutional Court of Latvia is starting to consider the case of mass deprivation of permanent residence permits for Russians. The hearings are scheduled for January 9, 11, 15 and 16. They will start at 10:00. Lawyer Elizaveta Krivtsova is conducting the case on behalf of the applicants.
Those who wish to attend the hearing can write a short letter to the Satversme court with your personal code and the dates you wish to attend.
The applicants are asking the court to assess paragraph 58 of the transitional rules of the Immigration Act for compliance with Article 1, Article 91 paragraph 1 and Article 96 of the Satversme. According to this paragraph, in order to obtain a residence permit in Latvia, Russian citizens must present a certificate of Latvian language proficiency at a level not lower than A2.
The amendments also removed from the Immigration Law Article 24(1)(8), which provided the right to request a permanent Latvian residence permit for a foreigner residing in Latvia who was a citizen or non-citizen of Latvia before obtaining citizenship of another country.
The claim alleges that the applicants are put in an unequal situation compared to other former Latvian citizens and non-citizens who have obtained permanent residence permits under Article 24(1)(8). Moreover, the deprivation of the permanent status granted by the State violates their rights to privacy and the principle of protection of legal trust.
Thus, the contested norm does not comply with Article 1, paragraph 1 of Article 91 and Article 96 of the Satversme: according to Article 1, Latvia is an independent democratic republic, according to paragraph 1 of Article 91, all people in Latvia are equal before the law and the court, and according to Article 96, everyone has the right to inviolability of private life, home and correspondence.
Those who wish to attend the hearing can write a short letter to the Satversme court with your personal code and the dates you wish to attend.
The applicants are asking the court to assess paragraph 58 of the transitional rules of the Immigration Act for compliance with Article 1, Article 91 paragraph 1 and Article 96 of the Satversme. According to this paragraph, in order to obtain a residence permit in Latvia, Russian citizens must present a certificate of Latvian language proficiency at a level not lower than A2.
The amendments also removed from the Immigration Law Article 24(1)(8), which provided the right to request a permanent Latvian residence permit for a foreigner residing in Latvia who was a citizen or non-citizen of Latvia before obtaining citizenship of another country.
The claim alleges that the applicants are put in an unequal situation compared to other former Latvian citizens and non-citizens who have obtained permanent residence permits under Article 24(1)(8). Moreover, the deprivation of the permanent status granted by the State violates their rights to privacy and the principle of protection of legal trust.
Thus, the contested norm does not comply with Article 1, paragraph 1 of Article 91 and Article 96 of the Satversme: according to Article 1, Latvia is an independent democratic republic, according to paragraph 1 of Article 91, all people in Latvia are equal before the law and the court, and according to Article 96, everyone has the right to inviolability of private life, home and correspondence.