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Thursday, 25.04.2024, 23:40
An immigration boom recorded in Lithuania in summer 2017
In
the June-July period, 5,701 persons came to Lithuania to live here permanently
or for at least a year, which is an increase by 57% year-on-year (from 3,639).
According to the statistics, the majority
of the immigrants are returning Lithuanians, however, the numbers of arriving
foreigners is also gradually growing.
"Within seven months of this year,
returning Lithuanian citizens accounted for 63% of all immigrants. Throughout
the whole calendar of 2016, citizens of Lithuania made 71% of all
immigrants," Birute Stolyte, spokeswoman for Statistics Lithuania, told
BNS.
Experts say arrival of Ukrainians may have
been spurred by the visa-free travel to the European Union (EU) introduced in
June.
Interior Vice-Minister Giedrius Surplys
says there had been many cases when “Ukrainians come here legally as tourists,
find an employer and apply for a work permit”.
In his words, the second reason is the EU
directive on posted employees, which allows companies in third countries
meeting certain requirements to post their staff to work in the EU.
Higher immigration could also be a result
of the government's decision to facilitate employment of 27 types of professionals
from abroad to improve the local business environment, said the vice-minister.
"There are fears among our migration
staff and consular staff that the flows may be big. We are thinking about ways
of boosting our capacities," he told BNS.
Ukrainians account for over half of
foreigners employed in Lithuania, with 11,000 Ukrainian citizens arriving in
the Baltic state last year. Critics say that open doors to immigrants may halt
increase of wages and cause social tensions.
No decline has been reported in emigration
from Lithuania, with the level remaining above last year's figures. In July, 4,
6 52 persons left Lithuania, up by 7% month-on-month and 1% year-on-year.
Last year, Lithuania lost about 30,000
residents due to emigration to Western Europe, the figure stands at over 21,000
over the first seven months of 2017.
Some experts say that the faster
emigration pace in the first half of the year is a temporary tendency, as some
of the emigrants may have rushed to declare their emigration to avoid the duty
of paying mandatory health insurance, while others may have rushed to Great
Britain before the country introduces restrictions before Brexit.
Opinion polls show that the majority of
emigrants swap Lithuania for Western Europe because of higher ages, emigration
can also be spurred by large income inequality.
Lithuania's population shrank from 3.7
million residents in 1990 to 2.8 million people this year due to emigration and
aging.
The scope is alarming, as businesses start
lacking employees, making it more difficult for the state to finance pensions,
health care and education.