The "A Country to Live in" foundation project has been helping Belarusians forced to leave for Lithuania due to repressions cope with bureaucracy and legal challenges of emigration for nearly two years. We spoke with the project's lawyer about typical requests, clients' pain, burnout, and reasons why even a single donation means more than just money.
— How long has the foundation been providing legal assistance to Belarusians in emigration?
The "Migrant Assistance" project started its work in September 2023. It became a logical continuation of our "Lawyer on Call" initiative, within which we consult on legal issues related to Belarusian legislation. Over time, we began receiving numerous requests regarding legalization in Lithuania, and we realized we needed a separate, specialized project with a team that would work exclusively on migration cases.
— How many people have you managed to help during this time?
We keep statistics by the number of requests, not by "heads." One person can submit several requests, and behind one appeal there might be an entire family. According to preliminary calculations, by mid-2025, the project team has processed more than 200 requests.
— What issues are encountered most often?
The topics of requests depend on the current practice of Lithuania's Migration Department and waves of repressions in Belarus. But there are also consistently frequent themes:
🔸 recognition of Belarusians as a "threat to Lithuania's national security";
🔸 asylum refusals;
🔸 delays in consideration of applications for residence permit issuance/renewal;
🔸 choosing the appropriate method of legalization in Lithuania.
— Which countries do Belarusians most often choose for relocation?
We work predominantly with Lithuania, but from the type of appeals, we can say that Belarusians most often move to Poland, Lithuania, and Georgia. Before 2022, Ukraine was a popular destination. It's also known that many Belarusians now live in Germany.
— Which countries are most loyal to Belarusians?
It depends on what we understand by "loyalty." If we're talking about the friendliness of local residents, it could be, for example, Spain or Portugal. If we're talking about the clarity of procedures and opportunities for integration, Poland used to be such a country: predictability, language, quick adaptation. But we haven't conducted a systematic comparative analysis, so this is a subjective assessment.
— How do you assess the trend toward tightening migration legislation?
As a new challenge. We perfectly understand those who suffer from this because we ourselves are migrants. But we also understand the logic of countries that regulate flows to maintain public support. This is politics, and it's not always humane.
— What mistakes do people make when dealing with migration issues?
Two most common ones:
1. People copy others' experiences without checking how they match their situation.
2. They seek legal help after making the wrong decision, not before.
— Which client story particularly touched you?
The story of a woman who remained in Lithuania without documents while her entire family received residence permits. She has a child with special needs who is very attached to her. The woman couldn't leave but had no right to stay. The story is not yet finished; unfortunately, we're still fighting. When I asked why she didn't seek help earlier, she replied: "I thought others needed it more, didn't want to take up time." It was painful to hear.
— Are there moments when it's particularly difficult morally?
I live with this feeling of injustice practically constantly within this project (here a sad smile would be appropriate). Exacerbations happen a couple of times a week — when it's particularly difficult.
But it's difficult not only because everything is unfair and people live in uncertainty for years. It's hard to accept that they once made absolutely correct, logical decisions dictated by objective necessity, and now this turns against them. For example, someone deleted data from phones and accounts for security purposes, and now can't prove their participation in protests.
But the hardest thing for me is the feeling that everything is in vain. That the enormous amount of time and energy we invest with the desire to help goes toward unsuccessful attempts to break through the system. That no matter how hard we try, whatever efforts we make, we can't change officials' approaches to Belarusians' cases. Because where are we — three and a half volunteers — and where are those who determine the state's migration policy.
— How do you cope with burnout?
Working with pain, fear, and despair is not so difficult for me — I have experience, and I know how to support people in difficult states. It's much harder to deal with the feeling of powerlessness. When you've squeezed everything you could from yourself and the team, but there's no result — that's truly exhausting. In such moments, when burnout is already knocking on the window, I use three techniques:
I sit and go through cases in my memory when our help really worked. These victories — even if they're isolated — are important for the people who approached us. And they also give our team the strength to get up and move forward.
How the team has developed in a new field, what partnerships we've built, how we learned to provide quality help and support each other. We have different experiences and approaches, but we managed to create a warm, working atmosphere where everyone complements one another.
What will happen to people who will be left without a support point, without the opportunity to get consultation in their native language. What will happen to the team, which still won't be able to refuse help, but will do it informally. This method of self-support also works. It helps understand: what we do is really needed.
— Why is it important to support the "Migrant Assistance" project? What does even a small donation provide?
The project has existed for almost two years — and all this time without funding. We are a team of volunteers working after main jobs, in the evenings and at night. Donations allow us to spend more time on the project, reduce the workload, and continue helping those who can't pay for a lawyer or don't know where to go.
Each donation is not just money. It's an opportunity to give a person support. To allow someone to breathe and start building life anew without fear and legal confusion.
This is an initiative of the "A Country to Live in" foundation. Since September 2023, it has been providing free assistance to Belarusians in Lithuania with legalization issues, residence permit consultations, asylum, and legal protection. The project operates on a volunteer basis and exists only thanks to the support of caring people.
💛 Support the team's work — your donation will help Belarusians start a new life without fear and legal confusion.
Every donation helps support political prisoners and their families, giving them hope and the means to overcome challenges.
