Lithuania sees surge in temporary residence permit extensions

The number of temporary residence permits issued to foreigners for the first time decreased in Lithuania in the first half of 2024, but the number of permit renewals increased several times, according to data from the Migration Department.

A total of 78,121 temporary residence permits were issued to foreigners in Lithuania in the first half of 2024, the department reported on Monday.

More than 33,000 such permits were issued for the first time and around 44,000 were extended.

In the first half of last year, the Migration Department issued almost 72,000 temporary residence permits for the first time, and 14,500 were renewed.

“The increase in the number of extended temporary residence permits shows that foreigners who have entered Lithuania on legal grounds are staying in our country for longer periods of time,” a press release from the Migration Department quoted its head Evelina Gudzinskaitė as saying.

According to the Migration Department, the number of Ukrainians living in Lithuania has decreased by around 10,000 over the last six months, but their diaspora, which consists of over 76,000 people, remains the largest.

Almost 44,000 Ukrainians are war refugees who fled the Russian invasion and are covered by the Temporary Protection Mechanism introduced by the European Union.

The second largest diaspora of Belarusians grew by several hundred people over the six months, to more than 62,000.

The number of Russians living in Lithuania has decreased by a few hundred to around 15,500.

The number of Uzbeks living in Lithuania has increased from 8,200 to 10,200, making them the fourth largest foreign diaspora. Tajiks rank fifth, with an increase from 5,700 to 7,000 in the first half of the year.

According to the data of the Migration Department, the number of alien’s passports issued in Lithuania increased in the reporting period – 85 such documents were issued in the first half of this year, compared to 84 in the whole of last year.

The department attributes the increase in the number of alien’s passports to the Belarusian regime’s decision not to allow Belarusian nationals to renew their personal documents at diplomatic missions abroad.