Dombrava proposes restricting foreigners' work on platforms like Bolt and Wolt

Latvia's Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava (National Alliance) is pushing forward a broad set of immigration restriction measures prepared by the Interior Ministry together with other responsible institutions, his office told Delfi.

The plan is based on the findings of a parliamentary investigation committee that Dombrava himself once led. That committee's final report contained around 100 recommendations for improving Latvia's immigration policy and its enforcement. On Monday, August 31, the plan is set to be discussed at a coalition cooperation meeting before being submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers.

Quotas and tighter oversight

One of the plan's key points is setting a quota limiting how many third-country nationals may enter and stay in Latvia, giving the state greater control over overall immigration volume. The plan also aims to restrict third-country citizens' ability to work as self-employed persons, while preserving reasonably justified exceptions, and to crack down on dishonest intermediary firms that employ foreigners.

Restrictions on gig platforms

The plan includes limiting foreigners' activity on platforms such as Bolt and Wolt, with stricter checks on identity and the legal right to work, barring people without a valid legal basis for employment in Latvia from working through such platforms.

Students and universities

Stricter conditions are planned for admitting third-country students, monitoring their study attendance, and capping their overall share at Latvian universities. Universities themselves would face greater accountability for violations related to recruiting third-country students, with accreditation revocation possible as a sanction for serious breaches. Recruitment agreements with student-recruitment agencies for third-country students would be banned, except for citizens of NATO and OECD member states.

Asylum seekers and border guard

Asylum seekers would be required to register regularly, with penalties for failing to do so; unauthorized absence would lead to cancellation of the asylum request and deportation. Regular raids are also planned. To boost the State Border Guard's capacity, the plan envisions introducing mandatory state defense service within the Border Guard.

Dombrava stressed that the state must determine how many people it admits, for what purpose, and whether rules are being followed — adding that violations should be met with concrete action rather than endless procedures.