The Estonian government has assured that this group of people will be given the opportunity to apply for a new residence permit in the country, which will allow them to stay in the country for a long period of time.
At the same time, the exemption from sanctions will apply only to those who arrived in Estonia for the purpose of studying or working before the events in Ukraine, as well as to those who have passed all the necessary language exams and speak Estonian at level B2. The requirement for knowledge of the language is not applies to faculty.
According to the authorities, this academic year, a total of 298 citizens of Russia and Belarus subject to sanctions are studying in higher educational institutions of the country. However, the exception will only apply to 78 of them – those who have already met the language requirements.
Nine doctors from Russia and six from Belarus, as well as one dentist from Russia and three from Belarus who entered to the country for the purpose of work and were registered as physicians.
Estonians do not hide the fact that it is important to keep all doctors and dentists in the country who have passed the necessary tests and are included in the register of the Health Board with the right to practice their profession as a doctor or dentist, regardless of their origin.
Currently three Russians work in Estonian higher education institutions. They will also now be subject to simplified rules when applying for a new residence permit.
Despite the fact that Estonia has decided to apply less strict rules for the above groups of people, the authorities have emphasized that a residence permit is not will be issued automatically.
“Exclusion from the sanctions does not automatically mean obtaining a residence permit. Each application is considered separately, and it is assessed whether the person has grounds for obtaining a new residence permit,” the government emphasized.
All other rules applicable to citizens of Russia and Belarus will continue to apply.