{"p"=>"Lithuania has encountered significant demographic challenges since joining the European Union in 2004. These challenges include substantial emigration to Western countries, as well as immigration from Eastern and Southern regions. This situation complicates Lithuania’s immigration policy, which must balance national interests and international obligations while navigating both restrictive and more accommodating approaches. In the article, we use a modified conceptual ecological framework of the Chicago School, which considers the migration process as a sequence of contact, conflict, accommodation, and assimilation. In this framework, accommodation involves temporary adaptation through conflict management, and assimilation refers to the gradual absorption into a shared culture. In our approach, we emphasise integration rather than assimilation, highlighting the formal unity of diverse groups while also acknowledging their distinct cultural identities. This approach has given us valuable insights into Lithuania’s migration challenges and opportunities for policy improvement. Over the past decade, Lithuania has seen three waves of refugees. The first group arrived through Southern Europe, generating mixed reactions. In contrast, later migrants from the Belarus-Lithuania border faced societal rejection and were often viewed as security threats. The third wave, Ukrainians fleeing the Russian war, received widespread compassion, revealing a “double standard” in attitudes towards refugees. However, Ukrainian refugees still face economic, social, cultural, and safety challenges that need to be addressed for their accommodation and integration into Lithuanian society."}