On 11 May, Salaspils Municipality organised a meeting between remigrants and the Chairperson of Salaspils Municipal Council, Raivis Anspaks. The main topics of discussion were entrepreneurship and jobs in the municipality, as well as the challenges, wishes, and impressions of Latvians returning to live in Salaspils Municipality. The meeting was attended by remigrants from Norway, New Zealand, and Canada, whose key current interests are entrepreneurship and finding employment.
Addressing the remigrants, Raivis Anspaks, Chairperson of Salaspils Municipal Council, said: “It is important for us to know what you need and what concerns you, so that in the future we have a better understanding of what is needed by our compatriots who return to live in our municipality. Salaspils’ priorities are infrastructure and demography. We are thinking about families — soon, a new childcare service will be available in the municipality, giving parents a safe option for leaving their children when needed. Issues related to kindergartens, schools, and quality of life are important to all residents of the municipality. The story of return is, to a large extent, a story of people’s enthusiasm. We welcome and support new business ideas.”
Anita Skubiļina, Head of the Development, Investment, and Property Division of Salaspils Municipality, said: “The municipality is open to individual business consultations. In 2026, the state and municipal funding allocated for newly established remigrant businesses and jobs in Salaspils Municipality amounts to EUR 6,486. To receive this grant, or a smaller amount, co-financing from the remigrant or employer is required. Last year, the grant was awarded to Sandra Purēna, a remigrant from Norway. The new entrepreneur is developing a children’s furniture production business in Salaspils Municipality with a focus on export markets. This year, too, the grant will be awarded both for capital investments, such as production or service equipment, and for wages. The competition will be open to remigrants who have moved to Salaspils Municipality within the last two years and to Salaspils companies that create new jobs specifically for remigrants. The regulations of the remigrant competition and the application deadline will be published on the municipal website www.salaspils.lv.”
Sandra Purēna, remigrant from Norway, founder of SIA “Pure Wood” in Salaspils, and recipient of the 2025 grant, said: “We have started developing a children’s table model. It will be completed by mid-summer. The groundwork had already begun in Norway, when we made a children’s table for our own family needs, which received relatively strong interest and positive feedback in Norway. Now we have established a company in Salaspils and are developing furniture design and production, researching potential markets, with a stronger focus on Norway. We invested the grant received from the state and municipality in the purchase of production equipment. The municipality was very helpful in preparing the documents for the competition application.”
Linda Sondore, remigrant from Canada, said: “After 10 years of living in Canada, we moved to Salaspils Municipality on 1 April. All of us — myself, my son, and my husband — are citizens of both Canada and Latvia. Before leaving Latvia, I worked at the pharmaceutical company Grindeks. I am a chemist, and my husband is a long-distance truck driver. We are both looking for work. We are also exploring suitable business opportunities. We have ideas related to both gardening and waste management. We are leaning more towards a service-based business rather than production. In Canada, I worked in a plastics chemistry company, and my husband Andris worked in his profession as a long-distance truck driver.”
Ilze Iesalniece-Brukinga, remigrant from New Zealand, said: “My husband is a citizen of New Zealand and has been looking for employment opportunities in Latvia for some time. His professional background is related to dairy farm management. I myself work at the Construction Board of Salaspils Municipality. When returning, our biggest challenge was enrolling our child in school, but now everything has been successfully resolved. The most pressing issue is for my husband to find employment or start a business — hopefully in Salaspils Municipality.”
Veneranda Bogdāne, Principal of Salaspils Primary School, said: “Our school currently has five remigrant children from the United Kingdom, Norway, Russia, and Belgium. The biggest challenge for remigrant children is learning Latvian and arranging educational documents in their countries of residence. A significant factor in good academic performance and a child’s positive experience when starting school is the genuine interest of parents in their children’s education.”
Daina Šulca, Remigration Coordinator of the Riga Planning Region, said: “One of the main prerequisites for a successful return is timely contact with the remigration coordinator. The five most important things that should be arranged before and during relocation are documents in the country of residence, housing, employment, kindergarten, and school in the Riga Planning Region. If these matters are in order, the return is usually successful. The remigrant entrepreneurship competition opens up new opportunities to fulfil one’s dreams and to be consistent in one’s actions. The funding is modest, but it nevertheless provides a certain level of support when starting a business in Salaspils Municipality.”
Read more