On April 10, the director of the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Lithuania, Dzianis Kuchynski, met with the head of Lithuania’s Migration Department, Indrė Gasperė.
The sides discussed issues related to migration procedures and the legalisation of Belarusians.
In particular, they addressed processing times for documents, interagency checks, as well as ensuring a transparent system for tracking application status. Kuchynski raised the issue of waiting times for decisions, which in some cases affect access to employment and social guarantees, the Tsikhanouskaya Office reported.
The sides agreed to hold a joint meeting in June with the participation of relevant organisations. The possibility of hosting the event at the Migration Department’s premises is being considered. Representatives of Belarusian and Lithuanian organisations, including professional communities, will be invited.
The Lithuanian side is considering introducing a more transparent system for tracking application status and processing times. The updated system is expected to better reflect applicants’ residence status. While an application is under review, forced departure measures will not be applied, as the review period constitutes grounds for legal stay in Lithuania.
The issue of obtaining a foreigner’s travel document for Belarusians who are unable to return to Belarus and obtain a passport was also raised at the meeting.
Kuchynski handed Gasperė a document from the legal department of the Tsikhanouskaya Office outlining current issues related to the legalisation of Belarusians in Lithuania.
