What Ukrainians in Latvia should prepare for – updated support rules
4 December 2025 11:33
The Latvian Saeima has adopted in the final reading amendments to the law on support for Ukrainian citizens that provide for the reduction of social assistance. In particular, the amendments include the abolition of a one-time payment for starting a job and a reduction in support for self-employed Ukrainians. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Delfi.
What payments are canceled
According to the adopted amendments:
- one-time assistance for starting a job in the amount of the minimum wage will no longer be provided;
- state funding for self-employment support is canceled;
- state compensation for pet registration and veterinary requirements are also canceled;
- the privilege for patient co-payments for medical services is canceled.
At the same time, Ukrainians will continue to have
- discounts on travel on subsidized regional routes on general terms and conditions;
- full access to medical services provided by the Latvian state health insurance system;
- all the services of the State Employment Agency on the same terms as citizens of the country.
How many Ukrainians are currently living in Latvia?
According to the Register of Natural Persons:
- 31,152 Ukrainians are registered in Latvia,
- including: 17,167 women, 13,985 men and 6,977 children.
The flow of new arrivals remains stable – 500-600 people are granted temporary protection every month.
At the same time, the number of cases of protection revocation has increased, when Ukrainians failed to apply for an extension of their documents within the established deadline.
Employment situation
Latvia notes an improvement in the integration of Ukrainians into the labor market:
- as of June, 9,909 Ukrainians were employed;
- since 2022, both the number of employees and the level of income have been growing steadily.
As a result, the government believes that some types of assistance have already lost their relevance.
In 2025, €65 million was allocated to support Ukrainians, and €39.7 million in 2026, which also led to cost optimization.
European statistics
In September 2025, EU countries issued 79,205 new decisions on temporary protection to Ukrainians, the highest figure in two years and 49% more than in August.
