The Lithuanian parliament Seimas on Thursday introduced an annual quota of 40,000 for third-country nationals coming to work in Lithuania.
In total, 87 MPs voted in favour of the quota, one was against it, and eight abstained.
“We will have a real quota that will allow us to ensure that all workforce migration processes will be better controlled in Lithuania,” Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė told lawmakers on Thursday.
The quota would amount to about 40,000 persons, or up to 1.4 percent of the number of permanent residents in Lithuania in July of 2022.
Lawmakers also tightened the conditions for the employment of foreigners, requirements for companies, and the procedure for issuing temporary residence permits in Lithuania, the minister added.
“When tackling labour shortages, we certainly cannot overlook threats to our national security and we must prevent abuse of migration procedures,” Bilotaitė said.
The new quota will only apply to newcomers.
According to Bilotaitė, the quota was calculated after assessing the authorities’ capacity to monitor compliance and the needs of the country’s labour market.
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