Estonia is changing its migration legislation

The Estonian Parliament plans to amend the current Law on Foreigners in the near future. On November 28, the Riigikogu has already considered the draft law providing for innovations in the first reading. The aim of the changes is to prevent abuse in obtaining a residence permit and work visas. It is assumed that the measures will strengthen national security.

The modernization of the law is also aimed at eliminating the shortcomings that foreigners used to obtain a residence permit. The following items should be included in the upcoming changes.

Requirements for the design language

The main conditions for obtaining an Estonian residence permit and a work visa will include a ban on processing documents in Russian. The applicant’s dossier will only be accepted with a translation into Estonian or English.

Now, in order to obtain an Estonian residence permit, you will have to prove your knowledge of the Estonian language. The level of proficiency must be at least A2. When applying for permanent residence – B1. An additional condition will be the passage of adaptation programs.

Migrant workers

Every employer planning to hire a foreigner will be required to register in the Commercial Register of the country with confirmation of the actual business activity for the last year. The step is also aimed at eliminating abuses in the issuance of work visas.

Among the innovations was a change in the minimum wage requirements for foreigners. Now it will be enough for the employer to offer 1.5 times the average salary, instead of 2 times, as it was before. At the same time, there are currently no changes to the Digital Nomad visa program in Estonia.

Conditions for obtaining a residence permit and permanent residence

To obtain the right to permanent residence, an immigrant will have to live in the Republic for at least 5 years and prove knowledge of the Estonian language (B1). To obtain a temporary residence permit, foreigners will have to live in Estonia for at least 3 years and confirm their language proficiency at A2 level.

To reduce bureaucratic procedures and speed up the consideration of applications, it is planned to launch electronic services. This will help both employers and educational institutions (accepting international students) in registering foreigners.