ICN will continue to operate as a one one-stop agency in Riga and at the four regional centres in Latvia – in Daugavpils, Jelgava, Cesis and Liepaja –, providing wide-ranging support face-to-face, through telephone information line or electronically free of charge to foreign citizens and service providers from various industries, as well as specialists working with this target group.
ICN Riga office will operate as a coordinating centre in Latvia. It will assist in dealing with problems of a specific customer and support the ICN focal points/branches in the regions with regard to provision of services, ensure professional support to service providers in all municipalities in Latvia, coordinate awareness and availability of services to various groups of immigrants.
All ICN services will be available in three languages – in Latvian, Russian and English. If a necessity will arise during consultations, interpreters/translators or speakers of such rare languages as Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Urdu, Arabic, French, Tajik, Kurdish, Punjabi, Chinese, Turkish, Uzbek, Hindi, Spanish, Tamil, Bengali, Vietnamese, Armenian etc. will be invited to assist. The organisation informs that psychological counselling will also be provided by ICN free of charge.
ICN Riga office:
Information lines: +371 25565098, + 371 28612120
E-mail: konsultacijas@integration.lv
Skype: PatverumsDM
Address: Lacplesa Street 75 – 9/10, Riga.
Additional information: +371 67898343
ICN regional focal point “Latgale” in Daugavpils:
Information line: +371 25723222
E-mail: ici.daugavpils@integration.lv
ICN regional focal point “Zemgale” in Jelgava:
Information line: +371 25719588
E-mail: ici.jelgava@integration.lv
ICN regional focal point “Vidzeme” in Cēsis:
Information line: +371 25719266
E-mail: ici.cesis@integration.lv
ICN regional focal point “Kurzeme” in Liepāja:
Information line: +371 25719118
E-mail: ici.liepaja@integration.lv
It is planned to widen the access to information for the newcomers, who have received the right to reside in Latvia, through the ICN Riga office and regional focal points by ensuring a consultant, psychological assistance, a telephone information line, translation services. To promote inclusion of the target group into the local society, informal education opportunities will be provided along with the possibility of volunteering and becoming a part of NGO. A cross-sectoral dialogue platform will be created to coordinate cooperation between various authorities, with involvement of public, local bodies, private and non-governmental organisations. The immediate target group of the project will also be given an opportunity to participate. Specialists will be offered opportunities to attend international events, seminars. ICN specialists will continue their work on the development of the information resource on integration in Latvia www.integration.lv too.
Information Centre for Newcomers is co-financed by the European Union. The total budget amounts to EUR 751 520, 75 % of which is financing from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund for the period of 2014 -2020 and 25 % – co-financing from the state budget. EUR 300 000 of the total financing are budgeted to pay for the services of interpreters and translators. NGO “Shelter “Safe House”” ensures and develops the activities of the centre from 2 January 2018 until 30 June 2020. Grant Agreement No. PMIF/12/2017/2/01.
*A third-country national is a person who is not a citizen of the member states of the European Union, the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation.
Information was prepared by: Rasa Salina (Rasa Saliņa), Multimedia Communications Specialist, phone 22026355, e-mail: rasa.salina@integration.lv