An official of the Office shall not approve a letter of invitation if:
- The inviter has failed to submit all necessary documents provided by the Cabinet Regulation regarding procedure for approval of written requests, or the submitted documents have been acquired in an unlawful way, they are false or manipulations have been performed with them, or the inviter refuses to provide the requested explanations in relation to approval of the written request and entry of the invited foreigner and staying in the Republic of Latvia;
- the invited foreigner has been included in the list of foreigners that are prohibited from entering the Republic of Latvia;
- it has been established that the inviter has provided false information;
- competent governmental institutions have provided information that serves as a reason for refusing entry to the foreigner;
- it has been established that the invited foreigner does not hold a travel document recognised by the Republic of Latvia;
- there is reason to believe that the foreigner creates the risk of illegal immigration;
- it has been established that a prohibition has been set forth for the invited foreigner to enter the Schengen Area;
- the inviter has withdrawn the letter of invitation in writing;
- the inviter has lost the right to reside in the Republic of Latvia;
- the inviter has lost the right to invite a foreigner as set forth in this law;
- it has been established that the foreigner, when residing in the Republic of Latvia, over the last five years, starting from the day when the documents have been submitted for approval of a sponsorship, has committed an administrative violation and has failed to pay the imposed fine within the term set forth in legal acts, except for the event when operation of the administrative act has been suspended or the court adjudication regarding payment of the fine has not entered into force;
- the equity capital of the commercial company of the inviter has not been paid in accordance with the Commercial Law;
- the reason for invitation of a foreigner is employment pursuant to labour contract and the employer has failed to register the vacant position with the State Employment Agency or the position is registered, but after registration it has been vacant for the period which is less than the period set by regulatory enactments regarding procedure for employment of foreigners, or the qualification of the invited foreigner or employment conditions fail to comply with the provisions specified in the application for the registered vacant position;
- there is reason to believe that the real purpose for requesting the residence permit by the foreigner does not correspond to the purpose specified in the documents.
The inviter has the right to contest the decision regarding refusal to approve the letter of invitation or revocation of the letter of invitation within 30 days after the day of its entry into force by filing a respective application with the Head of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
The inviter may appeal the decision regarding the contested administrative act in the procedure set forth by law to the Administrative District Court. The adjudication of the court is final and not appealable.
Contesting and appealing the decision does not suspend its operation.
If it has been established that the inviter has provided false information, OCMA is entitled to adopt a decision on a ban on this person inviting a foreigner for a period of up to one year.
If it is established that the inviter has violated the requirements of the regulatory enactments related to the employment of foreigners during the last year or has not ensured the remuneration of the invited foreigners in the amount or in accordance with the procedure specified in the documents submitted for the visa application, OCMA is entitled to adopt a decision on a ban for this person to invite a foreigner for a period of up to three years.
If it is established that the inviter has invited a foreigner during the last year who has violated the requirements of the regulatory enactments related to the entry and stay of foreigners or whose stay in the Republic of Latvia does not comply with the grounds for requesting a visa specified in the invitation, OCMA is entitled to adopt a decision on a ban for this person to invite a foreigner for a period of up to two years.
If it is established that the inviter has failed to fulfill the obligation to ensure the coverage of the expenses related to the foreigner's health care, stay in the Republic of Latvia and return to the country of residence during the last year, OCMA is entitled to adopt a decision on a ban for this person to invite a foreigner for a period of up to one year. If the inviter has not covered these expenses during the period of validity of the decision on imposing a ban, OCMA may adopt a repeated decision on the ban on inviting a foreigner.