Lithuania’s Migration Department has proposed shutting down an external visa service centre in Tajikistan that processes temporary residence permit applications, LRT RADIO reported Wednesday.
According to the department, as of early June, approximately 6,250 Tajik citizens held valid temporary residence permits in Lithuania.
The number of immigrants from the Central Asian country has increased nearly fivefold over the past two years.
Migration Department Director Evelina Gudzinskaitė told LRT RADIO that many Tajik nationals remain in Lithuania illegally after their permits expire.
“If we look at irregular migration data, the number of Tajik citizens who fail to leave the country honestly and need to be issued return decisions is proportionally higher than, for example, among Uzbeks,” she said.
Gudzinskaitė added that Tajik nationals are also periodically detected near the Belarusian border, attempting to enter Lithuania illegally.
There are currently 31 external service provider offices operating abroad, down from 34 last year. At that time, centres in Lebanon, Jordan, and Sri Lanka were closed.
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