Over 870 foreigners in Vilnius register for Lithuanian language courses in first weeks

More than 870 foreigners living in Vilnius have registered for Lithuanian language courses in the first two weeks since the city announced the initiative, LRT reports.

The Vilnius municipality launched the free courses on April 2, encouraging residents to learn the national language. Over 20 teachers from 15 local schools have joined the programme, offering individual lessons. Registration for free online courses will open at the end of April, with a second registration phase for in-person courses at Vytauto Didžiojo University scheduled for June.

City officials noted that more than 6,000 foreigners in Vilnius had expressed interest in learning Lithuanian at the start of the year, suggesting demand will remain strong. Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas stated that stricter legal requirements could further boost participation.

“If national authorities adopted our proposal to require Lithuanian language proficiency for temporary residence permit extensions, far more people would enroll,” Benkunskas told BNS. “Currently, those learning are self-motivated, making it difficult to predict numbers.”

The mayor previously urged Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius to enforce a rule denying residence extensions to those failing to reach A2-level Lithuanian after three years. While Kondratovičius cited other ministries’ responsibility for integration policy, Benkunskas emphasised Vilnius is preparing for potential changes.

“We can expand course offerings if language requirements tighten. Introducing rules without learning opportunities would be ineffective,” he said.

Benkunskas warned that without action, Vilnius risks repeating integration challenges seen in other major European cities. Currently, the only incentive to learn Lithuanian is a new rule requiring service-sector workers to demonstrate language proficiency.

In September, the Seimas began reviewing amendments proposed by conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas to mandate Lithuanian language learning for foreigners after five years of residence. Migration Department data from early April shows 185,000 foreigners hold temporary Lithuanian residence permits.