The Latvian Confederation of Employers (LCE) has sent a letter to the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, urging him to facilitate the resumption of a professional and constructive dialogue on attracting foreign labor. The organization emphasizes the need to clearly separate the fight against illegal migration, issues of national security, and the legal attraction of foreign workers. The LCE states that it fully supports strict measures against illegal migration, fictitious employment, and abuses of residence permits; however, it believes that legal labor immigration remains an important tool for the economy, especially in sectors experiencing a shortage of specialists. According to employers, the problems identified by the Ministry of the Interior—insufficient control, inconsistency of state information systems, and excessive administrative burden—are not resolved by the proposed restrictions. Instead of addressing shortcomings, the state, as the LCE believes, proposes to limit or ban legal forms of employment for foreigners, which will create additional administrative and financial burdens for law-abiding businesses and may increase pressure on the social insurance budget. The General Director of the LCE, Kaspars Gorkšs, emphasized that employers support the fight against abuses. "Banning legal forms of employment will not improve control but will only increase the burden on compliant businesses and may create additional pressure on the social budget." The confederation also refers to the audit of the State Control published on September 9, which is dedicated to the effectiveness of the work permit issuance system. According to auditors, the state does not sufficiently utilize existing data, and the system should better consider the real needs of the labor market, be less bureaucratic, and ensure more effective control. Employers warn that constant changes in the rules for attracting foreign labor are already affecting not only the labor market but also the investment attractiveness of the country. For potential investors, the LCE notes, the availability of qualified workers and the predictability of legislation are important. The organization calls on the president to use the authority of the head of state to bring together representatives of government institutions, employers, trade unions, and non-governmental organizations to seek balanced solutions. The LCE expresses its readiness to participate in such a dialogue and to present proposals for improving the system of attracting foreign workers. The appeal was prompted by proposals from the Minister of the Interior, Jānis Dombrovskis, who is promoting a plan to limit immigration. Among the proposed measures are the introduction of quotas for citizens of third countries, restrictions on the work of self-employed foreigners, increased control over intermediaries in employment, and additional restrictions on the work of foreigners through platforms like Bolt and Wolt. Due to disagreements within the ruling coalition, this plan has not yet been submitted for government consideration. Earlier, President Edgars Rinkēvičs proclaimed the re-examined Immigration Law, which retained the possibility for foreigners to obtain temporary residence permits in Latvia in exchange for investments.
