Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič said Wednesday that Lithuania is tightening its migration policy, but argued that language proficiency requirements should primarily apply to foreign nationals who live in the country long term and are employed in customer service.
His remarks comes amid calls from some politicians to introduce stricter Lithuanian language rules for foreign residents of the country.
Speaking to reporters, Kondratovič questioned whether Lithuanian language requirements are necessary for some categories of foreign workers who spend only limited time in the country.
“People who come to work are often not even in Lithuania,” he said. “We checked certain groups of drivers, and some are in Lithuania only nine days a year. There are cases where they are only here for a week in two years. So the question is: over four years, is it really necessary for them to know the Lithuanian language?”
He said language requirements should be focused on sectors involving direct contact with customers, such as food service and other public-facing roles.
“I think we should proceed, as we already are, through service provision, focusing on those groups that really work in Lithuania and provide services where there is direct contact with people,” he said. “In those cases, a certain level of knowledge of the state language is truly necessary, and that law is already coming into force and will be enforced more strictly next year.”
Kondratovič was responding to proposals by Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas, who has suggested requiring non-EU citizens to demonstrate at least A2-level Lithuanian language skills in order to extend a temporary residence permit after three years.
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The minister criticised the proposal, saying it addressed only part of the issue.
“We see smoke, but we don’t know what is causing it,” he said. “What the mayor is proposing is just one point. This needs to be considered, but we are open, we are talking with opposition factions, we have met several times.”
“It is strange that the mayor is staging such a show outside the windows, and the minister is not even there,” he added, inviting Benkunskas to visit the Interior Ministry.
Last week, Benkunskas started collecting signatures in Cathedral Square, near the Interior Ministry, for a petition calling on authorities to link residence permit extensions to Lithuanian language proficiency. The petition is addressed to the Interior Ministry and the Seimas, parliament.
Kondratovič said his ministry is responsible for legal migration, while integration issues such as language and cultural knowledge fall under the Culture Ministry, the Social Security and Labour Ministry, and municipal authorities.
He has previously said foreign nationals should be expected to learn Lithuanian within five years of living in the country.
A rule in force since January already requires workers in customer service sectors to hold a certificate confirming Lithuanian language proficiency.
The Seimas has also been considering amendments initiated by opposition conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas that would set a five-year deadline for foreigners to learn Lithuanian, though the proposal has not advanced.
According to the Migration Department, 185,000 foreign nationals held temporary residence permits in Lithuania as of April 1.
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