On Thursday, 2 June, the Saeima adopted in the third reading amendments to the Immigration Law. The amendments stipulate the introduction of remote work visas to promote the migration of highly qualified professionals to Latvia. 

The amendments to the Law stipulate that a foreigner has the right to request a long-stay visa for a period of one year to reside in Latvia during an employment relationship with an employer that is registered in any other member state of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), or if a foreigner is registered as a self-employed person in an OECD member state. 

To diminish the administrative burden for remote workers, the Law stipulates that, following the expiry of the visa, it may be requested again for a period of one additional year for the purpose of remote work. According to the explanatory note to the Draft Law, these amendments will allow foreigners to reside in Latvia for one year and, during the period of the second long-stay visa, carry out the necessary enterprise registration procedures if the person has decided to start commercial activity or employment relations in Latvia, or to carry out procedures for receiving a temporary residence permit or a work visa. 

The Law stipulates that, following the end of the two-year period, a foreigner may not receive a visa for the same purpose of working remotely for a company registered in an OECD member state or working remotely as a self-employed person. 

Before the amendments, third-country nationals who were able to perform their work duties remotely had limited options to receive residence permits in Latvia. 

Saeima Press Service