Two of the last twenty three first refugees have left Latvia

The last two of the first twenty three refugees resettled in Latvia have left for Germany, as reported by LTV.

LTV’s documentary ‘Refugees have faces’ reported that Eritrean refugee Robel commended the work done by Mucenieki refugee centre’s employees and decided to leave for Germany with his wife in September. This marked the departure of the last of the first 23 refugees that had arrived in Latvia as part of the international refugee resettlement programme.

Santa Jonate, spokesperson for the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, has told LETA that the man voluntarily left his job in OCMA, where worked as a translator and communication expert with other refugees.

At the beginning of September, Aizliegtais paņēmiens programme of LTV reported that twenty one out of twenty three of the first refugees that Latvia had resettled as part of Europe’s international refugee resettlement programme had already left for Germany.

Each asylum seeker resettled in Latvia is paid EUR 139 benefit a month. An additional amount of EUR 97 is paid for each next family member. Refugees provided with alternative status are paid benefits over a course of nine months after provision of alternative status. Those provided with refugee status are paid benefits for an entire year.

Latvia has resettled a total of 109 people as part of the EU resettlement programme so far. 32 of them have been provided with alternative status and 5 people – with refugee status. Refugee status is provided without a specific term, whereas alternative status is provided for a year.

Last year, Latvia agreed to resettle a total of 531 people on its territory over the course of two years. Most of them would come from EU countries – Greece and Italy. Fifty refugees to be resettled in Latvia have to come from third countries.

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