PMLP chief Maira Roze retires after working under 18 interior ministers

Maira Roze is ending a 33-year career at Latvia’s Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs after serving as its director and working through the tenure of 18 interior ministers.

Roze’s last working day was September 1. From September 2, Inese Jansone-Šulmeistere, head of the residence permit department, will perform the director’s duties while also serving as the agency’s deputy director. Jansone-Šulmeistere has worked at the agency since November 10, 2009, and has led both its Jurmala territorial division and residence permit department.

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Looking back at Maira Roze's professional career as a whole, a truly rare picture emerges: she is one of the longest-serving officials in the field of migration in Latvia.

The agency said Roze, who became director on August 31, 2021, helped develop important legal initiatives and solutions in migration policy. Her professional career included the creation of Latvia’s migration system in the 1990s, the country’s accession to the European Union, the development of the Schengen area, Latvia’s 2015 presidency of the Council of the European Union, migration and asylum challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic and the reception of Ukrainian civilians.

The agency described Roze as one of Latvia’s longest-serving migration officials. During her career, she worked on politically sensitive issues including migration, residence permits, naturalisation, the status of Russian citizens, passports and electronic identity cards. Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava has said that several options are being considered for finding a permanent successor and stressed the need for new leadership with a firm understanding that Latvia should not allow anyone to enter, stay in or exploit the country’s systems for harmful purposes.

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Latvia is not a place where anyone can freely enter, stay and use Latvia's systems for bad purposes.