Sinkevičius calls Lithuania’s migration policy chaotic

Virginijus Sinkevičius, leader of the Democrats Union “For Lithuania”, has called Lithuania’s current migration policy chaotic and said it needs a fundamental review, LRT reported.

“The quota system and the proposals surrounding it show that the state cannot clearly explain how the system works, what the country needs or what the main integration criteria are,” Sinkevičius told reporters on Monday.

He said policymakers must first identify the workers and specialists Lithuania needs, while establishing clear mechanisms and assessment criteria for integrating foreigners who arrive in the country.

According to Sinkevičius, migration quotas should not be treated as a single overall number that obscures who is entering Lithuania. The state must understand the composition of each quota and ensure that the system does not increase tensions in society, he said. Possible ways of circumventing the quotas should also be assessed.

Sinkevičius said Lithuania faced different challenges now than 15 years ago, when the main concern was citizens leaving the country. He added that he was proud Lithuania had become attractive to talent and to people working in sectors such as services and long-haul trucking, but said the state still needed to define its priorities clearly.

The comments come as parliament considers a proposal backed by President Gitanas Nausėda to introduce fixed-term work permits for foreigners. The model would speed up application processing for people planning to work in Lithuania for up to two years, after which they would have to leave the country for at least six months.

The permits would mainly be intended for workers such as long-haul truck drivers and construction workers who do not plan to settle in Lithuania permanently. Highly qualified workers from third countries would not face the proposed residence restrictions.

The President’s Office has said the new model would supplement the existing long-term immigration system. The combined annual quota under both systems would not increase and could not exceed 1.4 percent of Lithuania’s population. The Government would set the total quota and its proportions each year, instead of the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, as is currently the case.