As an Employer you have to make a decision whether you will employ a third-country national based on a temporary residence permit or visa taking into account eligibility criteria, qualifications, salary requirements and other factors.
Detailed information about your options is available here, but in short, the main difference between long-term D visa for work and a temporary residence permit (including EU Blue Card) is following:
- A long-term D visa for work is intended for employment up-to one year.
- A temporary residence permit (including EU Blue Card) can be issued for a period of up to five years. A temporary residence permit (including EU Blue Card) must be registered annually at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs and the process will require participation of both – Employer and Employee.
Long-term D visa for work application procedure is faster and cheaper and is recommended if:
- You are not planning to employ a third-country national for a long period of time.
- There is an urgent need for employee to start performing his/her job duties.
As for the temporary residence permit (including EU Blue Card), it has its own benefits:
- Employee will be registered in the Register of Natural Persons upon the issue of an eID card and will receive a personal identification code in Latvia along with access to digital eSignature that will make daily matters in Latvia much more convenient.
- Having a personal identification code in Latvia will also positively influence employee’s experience with using healthcare services or education system in case employee relocates with family members.
- After having resided in Latvia for five consecutive years and having passed the Latvian language exam (at least at A2 level), the employee will be eligible for an application for a permanent residence permit in Latvia.