CENTRE PLUS NEWS No. 9, 2013Social issues

What to do for not feeling a stranger in a new country and to understand the culture of the society of host country, to learn rules, regulations and all the du-ties?

One of the most effective ways is participation in public activities. It can help more easily to adapt in a new country and it will be a par-ticularly important motive, if you want to be recognized and accept-ed. So, in this article I will try to give a brief overview of the impor-tance of public activities, as well as provide more information on the activities carried out by communi-ty-based organizations, where you can participate and not to feel alone and also you should be able to share your life experiences in Lithuania, to find out more about the norms prevailing in Lithuania, culture, re-sponsibilities, laws and others.

In particular, participation in public activities is useful in build-ing up new contacts that could be useful for business or personal career. In addition, participation in public activities creates social networks which demonstrate their benefits in the face of various dif-ficulties. Similar problems unify community members and strength-en their sense of solidarity. Moreo-ver, public activities are important in order to change the traditional prejudices and stereotypes about other countries, peoples, and in a

fight against discrimination, racism and xenophobia. This can help you to keep your national identity, to maintain the prestige of your peo-ple and promote their culture.

In order to expand the opportu-nities for social interaction with lo-cals, cherish their cultural and pro-fessional life. Also it is very useful to learn the host country’s language. Language skills are particularly important for immigrants in social interaction, integration and adapta-tion in a new society. It would be too bold to say, that the inability to communicate in local language of

the host country leads to the social exclusion, because it is important not only to speak language, but also to be able to deal with the language issue, that means not to be afraid to ask questions and seek clarification in the cases of uncertainty.

A lot of non-governmental or-ganizations and ethnic communities actively work in Lithuania seeking to guarantee the more successful integration of foreigners in Lithu-ania and to encourage the contribu-tion of different cultures in building and development of interaction be-tween foreigners and Lithuanians.

PUBLIC ACTIVITIES FOR A SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION

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We suggest you to contact these or-ganizations and communities:

Tolerant Youth Association: www.tja.lt; Social-Educational Center of Initiatives PLUS https://www.facebook.com/pages/Social-educational-initiatives-centre-

PLUS/459484914109239?fref=ts , Red Cross, Caritas, Association Baltic Turkish Culture Academy: http://www.balturka.lt/ , Vilnius African community: http://www.vab.lt/ , Azerbaijani Youth Organi-zation in Lithuania: http://www.

ayol.lt/, Arab community in Lithu-ania, House of National Communi-ties: http://www.tbn.lt/ .

Let’s be active and open, be-cause only such a society can sur-vive and live together in harmony!

Migration

In every country live different people, but generally speaking the society wants immigrants to come legally, to find a legal job and be able to support themselves, behave as good citizens, to obey the law, respect the local language and traditions.

In this article I would like to draw attention to the foreigners` responsibility for breaking the law of staying or residence, arrival and departure from the Republic of Lithuania.

The main condition for entry into the Schengen zone is to have a valid passport, a valid visa or residence permit. If it is determined that an alien is in Lithuania, after a visa or residence permit was expired, or visa or residence permit was canceled, or entry visa was expired, then he could face liability under the Lithuanian Code of Administrative Infringements Article 206 and carries a punishment. It could be a warning or a fine from 250 to 1,000 LT. In such cases a decision to leave the country is taken. Within the prescribed number of days the foreigner has to leave Lithuania and for the non-fulfillment of the decision he is arrested and expelled from the country. Then as a result, he may be banned for up to five years of entry into the European Union.

Sometimes the owners of

WELCOME, AND RESPECT THE LITHUANIAN LAW

apartments house the aliens who are illegally in the country. Housing an alien who has not a legal document for living in Lithuania is punishable by a fine to the apartment owner from 250 to 2,000 LT. Submission of false data for invitation of a foreigner to Lithuania or the other unlawful means to obtain a document, that gives the right to enter the Schengen territory shall incur a fine from 250 to 1,000 LT.

Foreigners who have received a residence permit

intending to engage in lawful activities can work only in the specified company and only the work which is specified in the employment contract. To engage a foreigner in other work, which is not authorized in the contract, shall incur a penalty to the employer which is from 2000 to 3000 LT for each person.

The employer or his agent, who employed the third-country nationals illegally living in the Republic of Lithuania, shall be

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Psychological issuesWHAT WILL YOU BE: A VICTIM, OFFENDER OR A COMMUNITY MEMBER?

Moving to another country is related to many new challenges and demands – a newcomer has to find where to live, how to pay costs of living, what to do, how to communicate with the locals, and also to overcome bureaucratic re-quirements, that the new country has for foreigners who came to live.

These countless duties and re-quirements a migrant has to carry in harsh conditions - the absence of loved ones who can help, with-out contacts which can be used, and also constantly feeling the hostil-ity or the lack of local support and understanding. Thus, being in the situation of migrant, the require-ments and obligations sometimes could be seen overwhelming or even unbearable. Not surprisingly, then, that arises an anger and the desire to blame the system, officers of a new country, society, people,

and appears the sense of alienation, willingness to keep a distance from incomprehensible and inconvenient rules, requirements, obligations and not to obey them, or appears a temptation to look for easier ways to achieve your goals.

In fact, it often seems very hard to take the responsibility for your situation, for your well-being and for being, what you are, and what you do in your life, especially, in the migration situation. It is not surpris-ing that so many people feel power-less, unable to change their life in

punished by a fine or by arrest or by imprisonment for up to two years. A legal entity is also responsible for the acts listed in this article.

The living and presence of foreigners in Lithuania is controlled by the Police, Immigration Department and State Border Guard Service. Aliens must submit an identity document (passport with a valid visa, a residence permit), as well as other evidence that their presence Lithuania is legitimate at the claim of the Police or other enforcing authority. Immigration officers control foreigners inspecting, whether they are engaged in the activity on the basis of which they have been granted a residence permit. If it is

determined that the alien does not live in Lithuania or does not work,

then a visa or residence permit is withdrawn.

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Cultural issuesPOTENTIAL CULTURAL THREATS FOR NEWCOMERS

Utmost threats to the new ar-rived foreigners could become cultural and mentality differ-ences between them and Lithu-anians, as well as language skills. It is said, that the first impression is very important. It could lead not only to your success, but also cause irreparable damage to a job interview, business meeting, also a friendly meeting or rendezvous. Therefore, we would like to give you some tips that might help you to avoid unpleasant situations.

Each country has its own top-ics, which are suitable for breaking

the direction that is desired. Often this is accompanied by the feeling of helplessness, the hatred of the system and the environment that surrounds. Then, it is easy to find someone guilty and responsible for all the difficulties and setbacks, and then it is easier to transfer responsi-bility to the environment. But let’s think - who can assume responsi-bility for your situation? A child cannot be responsible for his life – the parents take care of him. It may seem like a blissful situation and enjoyable life. On the one hand, a child cannot choose and has not the freedom to decide for himself, so there is only a hope that parents will choose the best for their child, but it happens not always. A victim also cannot be responsible for his own situation, because he is pow-erless and unable to choose, so the aggressor decides for him. Accord-ingly, the responsibility goes along with the ability to choose.

Psychological tests carried out with the unemployed showed that the greater responsibility for his employment a person assigns to the state labor exchange, the longer he

is left without a job. Transference of responsibility for unemployment to others (state, company admin-istration) is typical to those who prefer to rely not on their own solu-tions, but on others. Those who are more self-reliant, faster find a job, because of their active behavior which is directed to overcome the unstable situation. Likewise, a per-

son who believes, that he has to cre-ate his own destiny in a new country will be much more assertive, more efficient, more willing to adapt to a new place, than that one who feels like a victim of circumstance. Not for nothing it is said: if you do not choose yourself, the others will do it for you.

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the ice or vice versa are taboo. So, if you start asking questions about family, work or financial situation to a just met Lithuanian, you could be misunderstood. However, for-eigners who enter the conversation with topics about Lithuania, its his-tory and customs, can be sure that the conservative and close Lithu-anians will become much more open and pushover. And if you learn a few phrases in Lithuanian language, be sure, that you are on the right track expanding the circle of acquaintances.

Do you like joking? Be careful, this may be a risky

area, especially, if you touch sensi-tive topics and personal things of

a talker. Well, if your sense of hu-mor coincides with the talker`s, a few jokes and you will be the best friends, but if he did not understand your jokes, it could prevent any fur-ther contacts.

Do you have a southern men-tality?

First of all, be careful with emo-tional expression! Only a few of Lithuanians will embrace or kiss the cheeks of a first met person. Do not frighten cool Lithuanians with your expressiveness, hold a dis-tance, watch their body language and show your southern emotions only when they will relax. Second-ly, some new foreigners may think it is not necessary to give an impor-

tance to punctuality. Lithuanians will not be angry, if

you are late for 5 minutes, they will forgive you a 15-minute delay, if you have a really good explanation, but if you are late more, you will be assessed as a person, who cannot plan his time, and it is likely that you will damage not only a roman-tic rendezvous, but also your image of a dutiful employee or good busi-ness partner.

No matter in what situation you will find yourself, do not forget that we are all people and a sincere smile can eliminate a cultural threat in any country. Good Luck!

Law issuesLEGAL PROBLEMS OFTEN FACED BY FOREIGNERS WHO COME TO LITHUANIA

Foreigners who live in Lithu-ania must comply with the good laws. Disobedience to police of-ficers is severely punished in the

Republic of Lithuania, so driving a motor vehicle, you have to stop when required by a police offic-er, and if you made an accident,

you must exchange data with the other driver and call the police, if anyone was injured.

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You must not drive after drink-ing alcohol or using drugs. It is for-bidden to have weapons, including a gaseous pistol without a special permission in Lithuania, and you will break the law, if you use or supply drugs for others. If it hap-pens that you will become a victim of a crime, or if you be intimidated, harassed because of the nationality, race, ethnic origin, religion or be-lief, report it to the police, and also for racial and ethnic discrimination you can go to the Equal Opportuni-ties Ombudsperson`s Office.

It should be noted that foreigners often meet with civil law, especially in divorce cases. After an alien`s di-vorce, it is necessary to inform the immigration office, because in this case the legal basis for a permit au-thorization changes. In addition, in most cases the foreigner must de-part from Lithuania. Usually these problems are solved by the court.

According to the law, courts of the Republic of Lithuania are within the jurisdiction in family proceed-ings, if one of the spouses is a citi-

zen of the Republic of Lithuania or a stateless person, who is domiciled in the Republic of Lithuania. Lithu-anian courts also have jurisdiction

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OtherRIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF FOREIGNERS IN LITHUANIA

It sounds good, because every foreigner starts looking for his rights and what he can get from Lithuanian Republic as a resident. Let me to share with you my 7 years experience living in Lithuania.

In our previous articles we tried to cover most of issues which concern immigrants in Lithuania, and now I can give you just simple hits, maybe that will help you dur-ing your stay here and will save a lot of your time.

Tips and tricks1- Always go to renew your residence permit minimum 2 months before it expires.2- You can’t stay outside of Lithuania more than 6 months. And if you feel like you will stay longer, go ahead to the nearest Lithuanian Embassy and explain the reason and then they will let you to stay longer. 3- Never take information from only one source. Try to get in-formation from 2 different sources, especially in Immigration Office.4- Try to make good rela-tions with employee, whom you deal with: the immigration officers, your family doctor, your recruiter in employment office. Small gifts to them help so much.5- Avoid living or staying at night in some of regions, such as the station “Stotis” area and Gero-

sios Vilties. It is not friendly neigh-borhood. 6- Your residence permit should be always in your pocket, if you have one. And always keep your travel passport in a safe place, because it is your way back home.7- Always keep close to for-eigners communities and people from your homeland – they can share experience with you.

8- All big super markets have discount cards like “Ačiū” from Maxima. You can ask for it in there.9- Always have a city map in your handbag. Or, if you have smart phone you can always use the Google map. Also there is a nice application for Vilnius transport system called “Maršrutai”. You can find it in Google Play (former An-droid market).

to hear family cases, if both spouses are foreigners, but their permanent residence is in the Republic of Lith-uania. These cases are often quite complicated, so it is advisable to use the services of a lawyer.

Legal advice for third-coun-try nationals residing in Lithu-ania could be provided by clerks and other staff of municipality, in which they are located, as well as advocates and practitioners of pub-lic institutions with which the mu-

nicipality had signed a contract and who could provide legal assistance guaranteed by the state. On all le-gal matters you can also consult the lawyer of the Centre Plus. (Https://www.facebook.com/centrasplius)

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The newspaper is published, implementing the project “Consultation and information centre PLUS” according the European Fund for the

Integration of third-country nationals, annual Programme 2011

CENTRE PLUS · A.Smetonos street 5, room No 302 · VilniusTel.: 85 261 74 82 / 8 605 77 245

Email: centre@tja.lt · www.facebook.com (search for: Centre Plus)Working days: Monday to Friday · Opening hours: 11:30 to 15:30

and 16:30 to 20:30

10- You need always to know that police number is 022 and am-bulance is 033.11- You need to know your living address by heart. And also you should learn basic Lithuanian words to help you to find the places and restaurants.12- The respect of Lithuanian traditions and culture is the key for better integration. Be open minded and try to understand everything around you. 13- Information and help you can find in the Center Plus www.centreplus.org. There we could help you to get all necessary infor-mation, which will help you in your stay here in Lithuania.

Finally, I wish to all the for-eigners living in Lithuania the best. It is not easy to migrate, and not easy to live abroad, but we came here for different reasons and hopes and I wish all your dreams to come true.