Lithuania has seen an influx of Central Asian migrants over the past several years, with most of them flocking to work for the country’s transport firms. What follows, however, is often illegal work, unemployment, and onward migration to other EU member states.
A man from Central Asia, interviewed by LRT’s Investigative Journalism Unit near the Bleiras Logistics company dormitory in Utena, recounted his experience in broken Russian:
Bleiras Logistics is one of Lithuania’s largest haulage companies, addressing driver shortages by employing workers from Asia and other non-EU countries. Hundreds of drivers are housed in company dormitories in Utena while they undergo training, pass mandatory tests, or rest between long-haul journeys.
LRT Investigation Team met one of the drivers from a Central Asian country, asking not to be filmed or named. He claimed to be employed legally and showed documents, including a residence permit – not for Lithuania, but for neighbouring Latvia.
Under amendments to the Foreigners’ Legal Status Act introduced last summer, non-EU citizens can no longer work in Lithuania using visas issued by other Schengen countries. They must now obtain a temporary residence permit issued specifically by Lithuania.
"I was working in Latvia, but I started drinking a bit. So I came here because I want to work for this company. I arrived a week and a half ago, and they immediately told me to take the driving test. I had never taken an exam on this type of truck before. I failed. I'll try again tomorrow and ask for another chance,” the man said.
When asked if he would leave Lithuania if he failed to get the job, he smiled – "I think I’ll manage."
Migrant numbers unknown
Justina Vaškevičienė, head of HR at Bleiras Logistics, said that the company registers everyone who works at the company with the appropriate authorities.
"Our workers conduct daily room checks in the dormitories. Those who fail the driving test and are not employed are required to leave. They are informed that they can no longer stay here," she said.
However, Lithuanian firms continue to employ so-called third-country nationals, ie people from outside the EU, who have entered the country via other European Union member states. Their numbers are unknown.
According to Giedrius Mišutis, an advisor at the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), an entry stamp is placed in a foreign national’s passport when they cross an external EU border. However, no such checks occur at internal EU borders, including air and sea routes.
The situation is even more complicated for those who obtain temporary residence permits through intermediaries but are not ultimately employed.
Such individuals are supposed to return home, but many attempt to remain in Lithuania or move on to other EU countries, often illegally.
"This data is not automatically systematised," Mišutis acknowledged.
Lithuania’s Migration Department also does not know how many foreign nationals continue to stay in the country illegally. Officials say that when a residence permit is revoked or expires, the individual must leave. If they do not, they face deportation, though such cases are said to be rare.
According to VSAT data, 29 foreigners were deported from Lithuania in 2023 after losing their temporary residence permits.
However, in the first months of 2024 alone, nearly 15,900 permits were revoked due to terminated employment contracts.
A source familiar with the situation of Central Asian workers told LRT that few return home.
"These people have borrowed large sums to come here. They have families to support. If they lose their jobs, they try to work illegally. If their residence permit is revoked, they don’t stay in Lithuania – it’s too risky,” the person said. “Instead, they move to Germany or Switzerland, where authorities usually only check whether they have a valid permit. If they have a card with a valid date, they’re fine. They work there for a year or two and then return home."
The role of intermediaries
According to the Employment Service, the state job centre, some 140,600 non-EU nationals were officially working in Lithuania at the beginning of 2024.
While Ukrainians and Belarusians make up the largest share, the number of Central Asian workers – particularly from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan – has increased significantly.
Nearly 27,000 Central Asians were employed in Lithuania at the start of the year, with 16,400 working in transport and logistics.
To obtain a temporary residence permit for employment, a foreign national must be sponsored by a Lithuanian-registered employer. In early 2024 alone, over 14,000 sponsorship applications were submitted for long-haul drivers. In contrast, just over a thousand applications were made for construction workers.
Some companies establish recruitment centres abroad to assess potential employees, while others rely on agencies or social media advertisements.
Standard recruitment posts on social media typically state: "Long-haul drivers needed. Lithuania. Salary: €2,400–€3,100 per month for those with at least one year of experience."
Rachmat (name changed), a driver from Tajikistan who arrived in Lithuania through Bleiras Logistics, shared his experience. He processed his work permit not in Tajikistan but in Armenia, where VFS Global, an external service provider for the Lithuanian Migration Department, operates.
"The company sent me an invitation. I gathered my documents and applied in Armenia, probably in February. I recently went back, received my residence permit, and came here."
While official fees for residence permits are €120, many drivers report paying an additional €50 for the sponsorship letter, a cost legally covered by employers. Rachmat warned that many fall prey to unofficial intermediaries who charge exorbitant fees but then disappear.
"There are social media groups where workers share information. Some intermediaries promise to handle everything, take money, and then vanish. I nearly got scammed myself. Someone offered to arrange my permit for €1,300. I asked why it was so expensive. They insisted I had to pay in full before they would do anything. I refused."
Intermediaries profit
Six years ago, Meihud arrived in Lithuania from Uzbekistan. Speaking to LRT, he revealed that logistics companies themselves are now providing contacts for intermediaries.
“You find a company’s advertisement online, you call them, and they give you the intermediary’s number. When you call the intermediary, they set their terms – $1,000, $1,200. In Uzbekistan, it's not euros but dollars,” he explained. According to Meihud, this scheme was also used by a Lithuanian company that recently fired him.
He added that such intermediaries operate in Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. “They state the amount and take cash. No receipt, no contract, no license – nothing. They invite you for a face-to-face meeting,” he said, describing the exploitation scheme.
Another payment is required when submitting documents to the external migration service provider VFS Global. There, intermediaries also charge fees for securing an appointment.
“You have to go through someone to get an appointment at the visa centre. Paying an intermediary is a must. Booking online is impossible,” Meihud said.
LRT confirmed this information with a source working with migrants from Central Asia, who wished to remain anonymous. He explained that submitting documents directly to VFS Global is practically impossible due to long queues.
“Intermediaries ‘reserve’ places in line. It costs between €300 and €1,500. In Tajik online job-seeking groups, people constantly ask if anyone can help for a lower price because they are being charged €1,000 just to submit their documents,” the source added.
LRT contacted VFS Global via email for comment but did not receive a response within a week.
Employers take their share
Migrants from Central Asia, where salaries range from $200 to $500, pay intermediaries thousands of euros to come to Lithuania. But their expenses do not end there. Once hired, they must undergo driver training and pass a driving test.
Companies claim they assess potential employees remotely before issuing mediation letters. “We evaluate communication skills since a future driver must be able to read, communicate, and have technical knowledge,” explained Vaškevičienė, the HR manager at Bleiras Logistics.
Mindaugas Bakas, the company’s executive director, said that if a worker lacks sufficient knowledge, they are given an opportunity to learn. “They pay a symbolic fee,” he said. However, the company declined to disclose the exact amount.
LRT obtained documents showing that one driver paid €1,200 for training at Bleiras Logistics.
The president of the Lithuanian National Road Carriers Association (Linava), Romas Austinskas, commented on the situation, saying: “Knowledge costs money. Either parents pay for it during childhood, or the employee pays for their own training. Employers expect a return on investment.”
Accommodation in company dormitories is another cost. Bleiras Logistics representatives claim that drivers preparing for their tests can stay for free. However, once they start working, a fee is introduced.
“If an employment relationship is established, we charge a symbolic fee. We provide bedding, hot water, heating, and electricity. It’s not about profit; it’s about minimally covering the expenses,” said Vytautas Mikalajūnas, Bleiras Logistics’ legal department head.
Drivers, however, report paying €15 per night for dormitory accommodation, sharing rooms of four people and sleeping in bunk beds. Some keep their belongings in the hallway due to limited space.
LRT obtained pricing data from similar facilities. In one Kaunas dormitory, monthly rent is €32, allowing residents to stay for two nights per month and store one bag. Additional nights cost €17 each.
While on long-haul trips, drivers sleep, eat, and work in their truck cabins, sometimes for months. Road tolls, fines, and other costs are often deducted from their pay.
Several drivers told LRT that they received only about 60% of the promised salary over three years.
Commenting on this, Linava’s president Austinskas said: “We need to distinguish between business saving costs and outright dishonesty. Disputes exist, and violations happen, but we are improving.”
‘Give me a donkey’
Despite employers claiming a driver shortage, LRT sources paint a different picture.
“Legally, an employee arriving with a mediation letter must work for the inviting employer for six months. But if you visit migrant dormitories, many will say they are waiting for work,” an anonymous source said.
Unable to afford long waits, some start working illegally. Vilnius District Prosecutor Edita Ignatavičiūtė, who investigates human trafficking and forced labour, confirms this trend, noting that most victims are from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
“We have gathered substantial evidence showing that foreign workers beg for jobs. One even said: ‘Give me a donkey, and I will deliver goods with it,’” she recounted.
Based on investigations, the prosecutor noted that some employers recruit an excessive number of workers, creating conditions for exploitation. “They are promised €2,000 salaries, but employers know they can pay less because others will accept lower wages without complaints,” she said.
The Migration Department acknowledges that not all foreign workers employed via mediation letters actually receive jobs. However, it claims that some workers do not show up for work after arriving in Lithuania.
“They come, meet their employer, hear the conditions, and flee the next day. They do not return home; instead, they seek illegal work to recover their travel costs,” an anonymous source explained.
Additionally, some are dismissed within weeks despite an alleged labour shortage. The Migration Department reports that in some companies, nearly 30% of foreign workers are let go within a short period.
Firms face restrictions
Companies where ten or more foreign workers have failed to arrive, take up employment, or have left their jobs shortly after arrival in the past six months may be temporarily banned from issuing sponsorship letters. As of March 1, 96 companies have been subject to these restrictions due to concerns over illegal migration risks.
Among such companies is Vlantana, one of Lithuania's largest transport firms. Data obtained by LRT reveals that in the past six months, Vlantana failed to employ or dismiss 126 foreign workers for whom it had acted as an intermediary.
As a result, the company has been prohibited from issuing sponsorship letters from March 5 until September this year.
According to LRT's sources, Vlantana submitted 501 sponsorship letters in the first few months of this year. However, only 157 of these were used, while 344 remained unused.
Between mid-January and the end of February, 45 workers from Central Asian countries were either not employed or worked only briefly at Vlantana. Of these, 23 were not employed at all, with the company failing to notify the Migration Department about four of them.
The company cited various reasons for these cases, stating that some workers had not arrived, had not communicated with their employer, or did not meet expectations. In one case, Vlantana noted that a worker struggled with the Russian language, despite having passed a migration interview in their home country without an interpreter.
Contracts for 22 other Central Asian workers were terminated within two months of employment. The company stated that some drivers failed to report for work, while others resigned voluntarily.
LRT requested a comment from Vlantana and submitted written questions, but no response has been received so far.
Desperate for jobs
Foreign workers who arrive in Lithuania with a sponsorship letter but are not employed or are dismissed risk losing their temporary residence permit. If their permit is revoked, they must leave Lithuania and the Schengen area within 14 days.
"Do they leave? From what I know – not really," said prosecutor Ignatavičiūtė. "They often look for another job as quickly as possible, regardless of conditions. Many say they do not expect anything better since working conditions are similar across the sector. Some work as couriers or food delivery drivers to get by."
She also described cases where foreign workers go from farm to farm asking for work. "They offer to chop wood or dig ditches just to earn enough for food and accommodation. We are seeing a very serious and complex situation, as many of these people say, 'I have nothing to lose.' I can only guess what they mean by that," she added.
Calls to ease migration rules
Despite the mounting challenge, the Lithuanian National Road Carriers Association (Linava) has called on the government to ease the employment of non-EU nationals.
"We are being punished by the Migration Department, and we risk being left without employees. We would no longer be able to bring in workers. This is bad for us. We are now discussing easing the law to distinguish between business risks and those we cannot control," said Austinskas, the Linava president.
He suggested aligning foreign drivers' employment rules with the Seafarers' Convention, allowing them to work in Lithuania on a visa without obtaining a temporary residence permit. "Seafarers come to Lithuania and use this framework. They do not receive a residence permit but work with a visa. They are labour migrants and do not bring their families. Other countries have understood this and are making substantial profits," he argued.
Linava also stated that it is willing to share responsibility for the risks associated with third-country workers. "We monitor their online groups. If we identify risks, we report them. All migrants have these discussion groups and communicate frequently. They tell each other: 'Be careful, or we will be deported.' But we do not know the real threats, that is for the authorities to determine," Austinskas added.
Concerns over terrorism and espionage
According to the Migration Department, more than 20,000 foreigners applied for temporary residence permits in Lithuania for work purposes last year via an external service provider. In 2023, this figure rose to 27,000.
One of the main reasons for denying or refusing to renew temporary residence permits last year was threats to national security and public order. In 2023, 1,171 applications were rejected on these grounds.
Last year, 525 applications were refused for security reasons, while another 723 were denied due to alerts in the Schengen Information System or inclusion in Lithuania’s blacklist.
Over 10,600 temporary residence permits were revoked in Lithuania last year, with national security concerns and false information among the primary reasons.
The State Security Department (VSD) assesses whether applicants pose a national security threat. Meanwhile, police and border authorities monitor risks to public order and safety.
The VSD told LRT that most applicants subject to security checks are from Belarus and Central Asian countries.
"Citizens of Russia and Belarus may pose threats linked to the activities of Russian and Belarusian intelligence and security services. Meanwhile, Central Asian citizens could present terrorism-related risks or connections to Russian intelligence, given that these former Soviet republics remain within Russia's sphere of influence," the VSD stated.
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