ABSTRACT
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union Latvia has changed its status from a destination country to an immigrant-exporting country. The significant changes in the ethnic composition of Latvia's population are the core reasons for the rather negative attitudes towards immigrants and immigration in Latvia. In order to understand the attitudes towards immigration and Latvia's immigration policy, it is necessary to retrace the history of migration in Latvia. The most important immigration flows to Latvia occurred during the Soviet time. The discontent with Soviet policy, the sharp decrease in the percentage of ethnic Latvians and the increase in the number of Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians, have influenced both the public debate and Latvia's post-independence immigration and citizenship policies. The legislation on immigrant rights can be divided into two parts: those regulating issues concerning citizenship and rights inherent to citizens, and those regulating issues concerning national minority rights.
