Category: Latvia

Visas, Immigration & Nationality

Bulgaria and Romania Join Schengen Zone For Air And Sea Routes

Bulgaria and Romania joined Europe’s Schengen area of free movement on March 31, opening up travel by air and sea without border checks. After a 13-year wait, the 27 EU member states have unanimously agreed to welcome Bulgaria and Romania into the zone renowned for its free movement of people, goods, services, and capital. With…
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EU Proposes New Simplified Rules Get Single Residence and Work Permit

The EU wants to make it easier for non-EU workers to obtain combined work and residence permits. The move comes in an effort to promote legal migration of non-EU nationals for work purposes and to address the current EU labour shortages. The simplification of the rules for obtaining a Single Permit that allows the holder…
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EU Implements Stricter Guidelines for Suspending Visa-Free Travel from Non-EU Nations

The EU has defined three additional grounds on which it can ban visa-free travel for people of non-EU countries. On 13 March, EU member states’ ambassadors endorsed a new provision empowering the EU to suspend visa-free travel privileges for countries whose citizens are exempt from visa requirements when visiting the Schengen area. This regulation will…
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Biometric Passport Checks Threaten Eurostar Services

The much-delayed post-Brexit EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is due to go into effect in October this year, and Eurostar may be driven to reduce the number of trains because the facilities at London St Pancras have been considered “inadequate” to perform these new checks. The EES is an automated IT system for registering travellers from…
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EU Updates Schengen Borders Code

The European Union Parliament, in conjunction with the Council of the EU presidency, has successfully negotiated an updated Schengen Borders Code, marking a significant step towards reinforcing seamless movement within the Schengen area. The reform aims to strengthen free movement within the Schengen area, clarify rules, and reduce the amount of temporarily reinstated border controls…
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