Significant Decrease in Number of Ukrainians, Russians & Belarusians Holding Residence Permits in Lithuania Over a Year

The number of Ukrainians holding residence permits in Lithuania marked the most significant decline over the year, from 86,353 to 68,166, based on the figures from the Interior Ministry of Lithuania.

The statistics reveal that a sharp decline in residence permits was also registered among Russians and Belarusians in addition to Ukrainians. The number of these nationalities holding a Lithuanian residence permit has declined by more than 20,000 since the beginning of the year, Schengen.News reports. 

Based on the Interior Ministry’s figures, the number of Belarusians declined from 62,167 to 59,399, and that of Russians declined to 15,105 from 15,888. 

A press release issued by the Ministry said that about 577 Belarusians and 278 Russians have been prohibited from reaching Lithuania during this year. 

The Ministry data, as of December 1, shows that over 213,000 foreigners are residing in Lithuania legally, while more than 111,000 of them hold temporary residence permits issued based on employment. 

The Migration Department of Lithuania has checked over 47,000 foreigners, including highly skilled workers, self-employed individuals, as well as Belarusians, and 2,200 companies. 

Over 24,000 Residence Permits Revoked 
The figures from the Ministry also reveal that over a year, more than 24,000 residence permits have been revoked, and 6,100 administrative violation reports have been filed.

According to the Ministry, the most common violations concern irregular stays in Lithuania and failing to meet the rules for declaring one’s place of residence, according to the LRT report. 

In 2023, a total of 10,700 residence permits were revoked or refused. 

The main reason for the decline in the number of internationals obtaining these permits, according to the Ministry, comes from stricter immigration control measures that have been introduced by the Migration Department since 2023.

From July 1, Lithuania applied new changes to the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners, thus tightening conditions for employers inviting foreigners to work in Lithuania as well as the conditions for employing them. 

Stricter Residence Permit Application Rules 
From December 1, 2024, Lithuania also decided to tighten conditions for submitting applications for Lithuanian temporary residence permits through external service providers. 

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania said that the new changes were introduced after considering the increasing number of foreigners as well as emerging threats to the country’s security, among others.

Source: https://schengen.news/significant-decrease-in-number-of-ukrainians-russians-belarusians-holding-residence-permits-in-lithuania-over-a-year/