Dombrava Seeks Limits on Foreign Nationals Working Through Bolt and Wolt

Latvia’s interior minister, Jānis Dombrava, is pushing an immigration-control plan that would restrict foreign nationals’ work on platforms such as Bolt and Wolt. The proposal would require stronger checks of users’ identities and legal entitlement to work in Latvia.

The Interior Ministry prepared the plan with other responsible institutions, drawing on the conclusions of a parliamentary investigative commission once led by Dombrava. The commission issued about 100 recommendations on improving immigration policy and oversight. The plan was scheduled for discussion at a coalition cooperation meeting on Aug. 31 before possible inclusion on the Cabinet’s agenda.

“While still working in the Saeima, in the parliamentary investigative commission, we identified a number of problems in Latvia’s immigration system and prepared specific recommendations to address them. Now those recommendations must become concrete decisions,” Dombrava said. He said the proposal includes quotas for third-country nationals, stricter requirements for foreign students and universities, and tighter controls over employment and residence.

The plan would set a limit on the number of third-country nationals allowed to enter and remain in Latvia. It would also restrict their ability to work as self-employed people, with objectively justified exceptions, and target the use of dishonest intermediary companies in foreign-worker recruitment.

Universities would face stricter rules on admitting and monitoring third-country students, as well as limits on their overall share of student populations. Institutions could face sanctions, including the possible loss of accreditation for serious violations. Recruitment agreements with agencies bringing in third-country students would be prohibited, except for citizens of NATO and OECD member states.

The proposal further requires asylum seekers to register regularly and would impose penalties for failing to comply. Unauthorized absence could lead to cancellation of an asylum application and deportation. The plan also calls for regular raids and the introduction of a national defense service within Latvia’s State Border Guard to increase its capacity.

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While still working in the Saeima, in the parliamentary investigative commission, we identified a number of problems in Latvia’s immigration system and prepared specific recommendations to address them. Now those recommendations must become concrete decisions.