Several categories of Russians, Estonia withdrew from the sanctions. We are talking about representatives of educational tourism and healthcare – students, teachers, researchers and doctors.
According to information provided by SchengenVisaInfo, these people will be given the opportunity to apply for a new residence permit in Estonia, which will allow them to stay longer in the country. At the same time, there is an important note: exemption from sanctions applies only to those who came to the country to study or work before the start of the special operation in Ukraine, as well as to those who successfully passed all language exams and speak Estonian at the B2 level. “The language proficiency requirement does not apply to faculty members,” the government said in a statement.
Numbers
The total number of citizens of Russia and Belarus subject to sanctions and studying in higher educational institutions of the country this academic year is 298 people. Such data was published by the authorities of the Baltic country. However, for now, only 78 of them will be excluded from the sanctions list, as they have already met the language requirements. In addition, in 2022-2023, nine doctors and one dentist came to the country from Russia and registered as medical specialists.
It is also worth noting that three Russian teachers are currently working in higher educational institutions of this state. Simplified rules will also apply to them when applying for a new residence permit.
The reason for the outbreak of loyalty
The government explained the decision to lift sanctions against these groups of Russians because of their unwillingness to part with trained qualified personnel. They successfully passed the tests, entered the register of the Health Council, which means they have the right to practice their profession, regardless of their country of origin, Estonian officials reasoned.
However, the authorities stressed that the listed categories of Russians should not count on automatic extradition residence permit. Each application will be considered individually. At the same time, other sanctions applied to Russian citizens will remain in force.
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