Over 6,700 people have returned to Latvia with remigration coordinators' help since 2018
A Latvian ministry official told parliament that around 6,730 people have returned to Latvia with the support of remigration coordinators since the program began in 2018, though funding and capacity remain insufficient.
On Wednesday, Zigmārs Erts, head of the Regional Support Instruments Department at the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development (VARAM), briefed the Saeima's Citizenship, Migration and Social Cohesion Committee on the results of the remigration coordinator program since 2018.
According to Erts, approximately 6,730 people have returned to Latvia over eight years with coordinators' support. Annual figures have varied — from 399 people in 2018 to over a thousand in 2020, with 510 returns recorded so far in 2026. Erts noted that remigrants assisted by coordinators represent on average about 10% of the total number of people returning to Latvia each year.
The coordinators' role
A remigration coordinator provides free, individual consultations to people planning to return and settle in a specific Latvian region, helping them identify key issues related to relocation.
Main challenges
Erts cited insufficient funding as the most significant problem — support for coordinators has remained at 2018 levels, though roughly an additional €100,000 per year would be needed. Staff turnover at partner institutions also complicates the work, often forcing coordinators to rebuild cooperation and understanding of remigration issues from scratch. Another challenge is a lack of feedback, as some remigrants change their plans or stop communicating, making tracking difficult.
Region-specific difficulties were also noted — for instance, in the Latgale border area, security concerns can influence decisions to return. A newer topic emerging in coordinators' work concerns questions about mandatory state defense service after returning to Latvia. VARAM's overall assessment is that the coordinator network functions well, but its capacity needs to be adapted to the growing and increasingly diverse range of questions it faces.
