Allocation of Immigration Quotas Does Not Address the Real Problem
The Ministry of the Interior has proposed setting the immigration quota for 2025 at 1,298, distributed across various fields. The Chamber reiterated its recommendation to eliminate the allocation of quotas by sector and instead address the underlying issue of the immigration quota’s limitations.
According to the proposal, the immigration quota for 2025 will be 1,298, the maximum limit allowed by the Aliens Act, equivalent to 0.1% of Estonia’s permanent population. This represents a decrease of five compared to the current year.
The Ministry also suggested allocating portions of the quota specifically for employment in fields such as transport and logistics, sports, journalism, creative work, and positions based on international agreements, while leaving a portion of the quota for unrestricted use. However, the exact breakdown of this quota allocation will be determined in the coming months.
Sector-Based Quota Allocation is Not Practical
The Chamber believes that distributing the immigration quota by sector is impractical, as demand for residence permits falling under the immigration quota has consistently exceeded supply since 2017, with the exception of this year. Allocating the quota among specific sectors does not resolve the problem of the quota filling up too quickly.
Moreover, setting artificial restrictions adds to over-regulation, increasing the workload for both the Ministry of the Interior and the Police and Border Guard Board, while also complicating the quota process for foreigners and employers.
The current allocation system lacks transparency, leaving it unclear why only five sectors receive reserved quotas. There are other sectors in Estonia with significant labor shortages where local workers cannot meet the demands of a growing economy.
Proposals to Address the Quota Issue
In a letter to the Ministry of the Interior, the Chamber emphasized that instead of sector-based quota allocations, the solution lies in addressing the inadequacy of the current immigration quota. Increasing the immigration quota or exempting more residence permits from the quota system would be effective steps forward.
One solution is to raise the immigration quota. Another approach could involve exempting certain groups or occupations from the quota altogether. For example, residence permits for professions with a known shortage and lengthy training requirements, such as engineers and machine operators, could be excluded from the quota. Another possible solution would be to exempt the residence permits of foreign workers employed by “trusted employers” from the quota.