Immigration to Europe – Trade in the EU, Travel in Schengen, Live in Latvia

Immigration to Europe – Travel the Schengen area, do business in the European Union, live in Latvia.
Now it is all possible through the process of immigration to Europe.

If you are:

• looking for European Union (EU) residency and the security this could mean for you and your family
• looking for a possibility to freely travel within the Schengen area without any need to apply for a Schengen visa
• considering starting business in the EU
• moving to Europe (i.e. Latvia)
• looking for investment opportunities

One of our Immigration programs – providing a 5 year EU temporary residence permit in Latvia, via investment, could be the solution.

Find the perfect immigration solution for you

Fixed-term deposit	Establishment of a Business	Investment in real estate
Subordinated term deposit or bonds ≥ 280 000 EUR, or its equivalent in USD at the current rate of the ECB (~ 350 000 USD) Term ≥ 5 years	Investment amount ≥ 35 000 EUR Taxes ≥ 40 000 EUR per annum	Value of which is ≥ 250 000 EUR
>>> Details	>>> Details	>>> Details

Things to know about immigration

Law firm specialising in Corporate and Immigration Law

Our legal team will assist with immigration issues and residence permits. We will also help you with the process of purchasing real estate and resolving any tax issues that arrise from your decision to live or do business in Europe.

Our principal specializations include the obtaining of Latvian residence permits and the formation of companies in Latvia and other Baltic States.

We provide a full range of legal services in these areas and pride ourselves in offering our clients the best possible solution to meet their unique requirements.

What do we offer?

• Consultations on the immigration legislation of Latvia (Immigration to Europe);
• Assistance with obtaining residence permits in Latvia (Residency in Europe);
• General legal assistance;
• Real estate search;
• Consultations on the Latvian real estate market, real estate market research;
• Full assistance, support and legal advice during the process of acquisition of real estate;
• Property management, assistance in choosing the best real estate options for your unique use requirements;
• Tax consultations, accountancy services, tax reports and representation with local Tax authorities;
• Other services and activities for the Client as required on individual basis

See more information about what we offer in the section ‘Our services‘

Content

Jump directly to your area of interest:

• Schengen visas
  • Schengen area
  • Possibilities in Europe
  • Visa Requirements
• Residence permits
  • Options
• The European Union Blue card
  • Requirements
• Immigration to Europe
  • Policy
  • Statistics
  • Definitions
  • Moving to Europe

Schengen visas

‘Schengen visas’ (a.k.a. the uniform schengen visa) are granted in the form of a sticker affixed by a Member State onto a passport, travel document or other valid document which authorises its holder to cross the borders of the Schengen Area – whether their voyage through Europe is just a journey, or an adventure.

The Schengen Area is a group of 26 European countries that have abolished passport and immigration controls at their common borders and have a uniform visa policy. It functions almost as a single country for international travel purposes, which, while still allowing member countries to add special provisions of their own with regard to residency and local visa types, ensures that some visa types are universal, and that an individual with a residency in one Schengen country does not need a visa to visit or transit another Schengen country – in this sense it comes very close to being a common European Union immigration policy (The United Kingdom and Ireland are part of their own separate agreement called ‘the common travel area’ and hence Schengen rules do not apply there, even though they are both part of the European Union. It is also with noting that the Schengen Area also includes countries that are not members of the EU.).

Read more here.

Schengen area

The Schengen Area consists of twenty-two European Union (EU) member states and four European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states.

The list of countries where a Schengen visa is valid:
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

Read more here.

Possibilities within Europe

The economy of Europe, as a continent, comprises more than 731 million people spread across 48 different countries. Like other continents, the average wealth of individuals varies from state to state, although, even in the poorest European countries, the range in terms of GDP and living standards still ranks much higher than in most other continents. Europe has a thriving manufacturing sector, with a large part of the world’s industrial production taking place in Europe.

Agriculture and fishing

Europe’s agricultural sector is generally well developed. The process of improving and modernising agriculture in Central Europe is ongoing and is assisted by the accession of the Central European states to the EU. The agricultural sector among EU member states is supported by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which helps provide farmers with a guaranteed minimum price for their products and subsidizes their exports, which increases the competitiveness of their products.

Investing and banking

Europe has a well-developed financial sector. Many European cities are financial centres with the City of London being the largest. The continental european financial sector was boosted by the introduction of the euro as a common currency. This has made it easier for European households and firms to invest in companies and deposit money in banks in other European countries. Additionally the Euro has gained the position of a global ‘reserve’ currency, meaning that many non-euro countries hold reserves of the currency as part of their foreign exchange reserves, primarily used when performing commodities transactions. The Euro is currently the world’s second most widely held reserve currency after the US dollar, with some countries, such as Russia, holding the Euro as their primary foreign reserve currency.

Settling in Europe

To have a home in Europe and to enjoy migration to Europe there are some basic things that you will need to know.

For a list of some of the things you may need to know about relocation to Europe, skip to the list at the bottom of this page.

Requirements for Schengen visas

Normally, an individual, unless they already meet all the requirements, who wishes to travel (or migrate) to Europe has to apply for a visa (For the Schengen Area a Schengen Visa) in his/her country of residence at the embassy, high commission or consulate of the (Schengen) country which is his/her main destination. With regard to Schengen area states, then in exceptional cases it is possible to obtain a single-entry Schengen visa valid for up to 15 days on arrival at the border, as long as the individual can prove that he/she was unable to apply for a visa in advance due to time constraints arising out of ‘unforeseeable’ and ‘urgent’ circumstances as long as he/she fulfills the regular criteria for the issuing of a Schengen visa, and can prove all of this along with proving the urgency of the situation.

The requirements for entry are as follows:

• The third-country national (a person who is neither a citizen of the country in question, nor of any other EU country) must be in possession of a valid travel document or documents authorising them to cross the border; the acceptance of travel documents for this purpose remains within the domain of the individual member states;
• The traveller either possesses a valid visa (if required) or a valid residence permit;
• The traveller can justify the purpose and conditions of the intended stay and has sufficient means of subsistence/support, both for the duration of the intended stay and for return to his or her country of origin or transit to a third country into which the traveller is certain to be admitted, or is in a position to acquire such means lawfully;
• The Schengen Information System does not contain an alert for refusal of entry concerning the traveller, and
• The traveller is not considered to be a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of any of the Schengen countries – it is worth noting that this final rule is the only one that can also be applied to EU citizens in order to refuse them entry.

The holder of a visa may still be denied entry at the border of the European Union if the border officials feel that he or she fails to meet the requirements for admission.

Residence permit

A residence permit is a document providing a foreigner with the right to reside in a specific country.
We offer legal services related to immigration in Latvia and receipt of the Latvian residence permit.

A residence permit in Latvia makes your life much easier if you want to reside, work or study in Latvia or simply visit other Schengen countries, or if you want to immigrate and live in Europe. Currently there are two kinds of residence permit available: the permanent and the temporary residence permits. The biggest advantage of a residence permit in Latvia is the fact that you are entitled to enter Schengen countries without any visa, or other formal registration, which makes it easier for you to run your business in Europe and travel.

Options for obtaining a residence permit

At the moment, there are three ways to obtain a residence permit, aside from the more traditional methods:

• Residence permit based on acquisition/purchase of real estate. Click here
• Residence permit based on investment in business. Click here
• Residence permit based on investment in a bank. Click here

European Union Blue Card

The European Union Blue Card directive applies to highly qualified non-EU nationals seeking to be admitted to the territory of a Member State of the European Union (common European Union immigration policy), excluding Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom, for more than three months for the purposes of employment and residence. The EU Blue card also allows qualifying individuals to bring their close family with them.

The ‘Blue card’ can be obtained using a single-track procedure, allowing non-EU citizens to apply for a work permit, which is then valid for up to two-years, and can be renewed thereafter.

The blue card gives a series of rights, including favourable family reunification rules. The proposal also encourages geographic mobility within the EU, between different member states, for those who have been granted a blue card.

Requirements

To be admitted into the EU, the applicant must produce:

• a work contract or binding job offer with a salary of at least 1,5 times the average gross annual salary paid in the Member State;
• a valid travel document and in specific cases a valid residence permit or a national long-term visa;
• valid health insurance;
• for regulated professions, documents establishing that s/he meets the legal requirements, and for unregulated professions, documents establishing the relevant higher professional qualifications.

In addition, the applicant must not pose a threat to public policy in the view of the Member State to which he/she seeks admission.

Immigration to Europe

Immigration to Europe immigration issues, statistics, laws and policies throughout Europe.

Most European nations today (particularly those of the so-called EU-15) have sizeable immigrant populations, many of them of non-European origin. In the European Union, as EU citizenship implies freedom of movement and residence within the EU itself, the term ‘immigrant’ is mostly used to refer to third-country (i.e. non-EU) citizens.

Immigration policy in European Union

Immigration policy seeks to establish a framework for legal migration, fully taking into account the importance of integration into host societies. The EU measures in support of legal immigration cover the conditions of entry and residence for certain categories of immigrants, such as highly qualified workers subject to the ‘EU Blue Card Directive’ in addition to students and researchers. Family reunification and additional rights for long-term residents are also provided for.

In December 2011, the so-called Single Permit Directive was adopted. It creates a set of rights for non-EU workers legally residing in an EU State.

The aim is to simplify immigration procedures and give migrants clear employment-related rights. Furthermore, the Long-Term Residence Directive has created a single status for non-EU nationals who have been lawfully resident in an EU country for at least five years, thus establishing a legal basis for equal treatment in all EU countries.

Integration of non-EU nationals into EU countries

Successful integration of immigrants into their host society is essential to maximise the opportunities afforded by legal migration and to realise the potential that immigration has for EU development.

As the Official EU website europa.eu notes:

Greater mobility brings with it opportunities and challenges. A balanced, comprehensive and common migration policy will help the EU to seize these opportunities while tackling the challenges head-on. This policy – currently under development – is built upon solidarity and responsibility. It will have the added advantage of making a valuable contribution to the EU’s economic development and performance in the long term.

Source: europa.eu – home affairs – immigration policy
Read more about the economy, history and languages in Europe here.

Statistics

In 2010, 47.3 million people lived in the EU, who were born outside their resident country. This corresponds to 9.4% of the total EU population. Of these, 31.4 million (6.3%) were born outside the EU and 16.0 million (3.2%) were born in another EU member state. The largest groups of people born outside the EU were found in Germany (6.4 million), France (5.1 million), the United Kingdom (4.7 million), Spain (4.1 million), Italy (3.2 million), and the Netherlands (1.4 million).