Russians and Belarusians seeking asylum are flocking to Lithuania
Russia continued the invasion of Ukraine, the Department of Migration has increased the number of asylum applications not only Ukrainians but also Russian citizens. This was an interview between LNK journalists and Evelina Gudzinskaitė, Director of the Migration Department.
– When did you notice the increased traffic?
– We have noticed an increase in the number of inquiries since the beginning of the war. We see a growing number of asylum applications in the weeks since the war began. The number of applications not only from Russian but also from Belarusian citizens is growing.
– In addition to the asylum application, have asylum permits increased in Lithuania?
Full LNK report – in the video:
– Compared to the same period last year, growth is twice as high. However, it took place continuously, not immediately after the war, because long before the citizens of Belarus and Russia had been looking for opportunities to leave their country. The incoming IT professional has started to grow significantly.
– What does asylum status mean? How is it different from applying for temporary accommodation?
– Asylum provides that person with political protection and a guarantee that he or she will not be returned to his or her country of nationality. Those who fear political persecution, coping, ask for asylum. Others, who simply do not like to live, did not like the environment of the regime, the order, do not have to fear that they will be dealt with, so they apply for a residence permit.
– What are the reasons for these people?
– Those who apply for or seek asylum state that they are ashamed to live in their country, are persecuted by the regime, do not agree with it. Those who come on the basis of work refer to work, but, of course, the reason is political.
– The Speaker of the Seimas said that the citizens of Belarus and Russia need to be checked more closely in order to be safe. Can you ensure these processes, or is there enough human resources in the Migration Department?
– They are not the only ones inspected by the department. We rely heavily on inspections by other services. First of all – ministries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economics and Innovation, conducts its own inspection before mediating the issuance of documents to such aliens. Here is the first line of inspection, followed by the Migration Department, which consults with the Police Department, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Security Department, which provides important information.
– Not all requests are granted. For what reasons are they dissatisfied?
– For security reasons, there may have been only one or two recent cases. for common reasons – debts, etc.
– There is a growing number of such people, Russian citizens, who are interested in acquiring Lithuanian citizenship. Do you notice that, or is it true?
– Court. We receive non-e-inquiries from living Russian citizens whose regime cannot even breathe. There are Russian citizens who have lived in Lithuania for a long time and are seriously thinking, they even have the right to become Lithuanian citizens. There are those seriously elected who are issued Russian citizenship.
– Are there any exceptions? Do they have to go through all the processes that have been there before?
– Yes. In general, nothing is made easier.
– A month ago, the number of people wishing to produce passports had increased. What is the situation now? Is it possible to produce documents faster?
– For one week we were completely closed to live service because we could no longer cover everything. We then resumed activities in the individual sections of the areas, there are queues waiting, but the wait is not three hours, but one and a half. Decreased but did not return to older flows. Passports are required when traveling to the United States, Canada, and so on. If you are not currently going to these countries, you have no need to apply for a passport.