Document #1211772
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
According to an official at the consular
section of the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in Ottawa, in 1993
Latvian citizenship was a prerequisite for the issuance of the new
Latvian external passports issued by Latvia beginning in 1991,
shortly after independence (17 Oct. 1995). The official also stated
that it was normal procedure in 1993 for non citizens residing in
Latvia to be issued the old Soviet-style external passports for use
as official travel documents. The Latvian government stopped
issuing the Soviet-style passports at the beginning of 1995 and is
about to replace them with new external passports for non-citizens
(ibid.). In the meantime, temporary external passports for non
citizens are being issued (ibid.). The remaining Soviet-style
external passports will remain in circulation until their
expiration (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
Embassy of the Republic of Latvia,
Ottawa. 17 October 1995. Telephone interview with official.