Immigration of Highly–Skilled Workers to Estonia: Current Trends and Legislative Framework / Imigrácia Kvalifikovanej Pracovnej Sily Do Estónska: Súčasné Trendy A Právny Rámec

Abstract

Abstract Estonian immigration policies have been largely influenced by its historical development. The figures from 1989 show that the population was only 61.5 percent Estonian by origin with the remaining 38.5 percent belonging to other ethnic backgrounds. Remarkably, 26 percent of the Estonian population were foreign born.(1) After joining the European Union in 2004, Estonia faced a high rate of outward migration, which was connected, inter alia, to the higher average salaries of the other Member States. The rapid expansion of the Estonian economy and growth of employment coupled with the negative population growth contributed to the need of foreign skilled labour.(2) Besides, the recent reform in the education system accounts for shortage of technical specialists in some labour areas.(3) It is thus not surprising that Estonian government employs focused, selective and demand-based immigration strategies to fight the ‘global war for talents’.(4),(5) The objective of the restrictive immigration policy is to attract first and foremost highly qualified professionals in the strategic economic areas while avoiding uncontrolled immigration and increase the sustainability and competitiveness of the Estonian economy. First part of current paper provides an overview of who falls under the classification of a ‘skilled’ worker and the Estonian perspective on talent attraction and retention. The second part lays down the existing legal framework, which covers the conditions and procedures of knowledge-worker’s immigration to Estonia. Particularly, this includes the relatively recent amendments to the Aliens Act 2004, which came into force in 2008 and set forth a facilitated approach towards entry and residence requirements. Abstrakt Historicky vyvoj v Estonsku sa vo veľkej miere prejavil aj na formulacii miestnej imigračnej politiky. Štatisticke data z roku 1989 dokazuju, že len 61,5% populacie malo estonsky povod a zvyšnych 38,5% malo ine etnicke pozadie. Až 26% populacie Estonska sa narodilo v inej krajine(1). Po vstupe Estonska do Europskej unie v roku 2004, bola zaznamenana masivna migracia z krajiny, ktora bola prevažne spojena s vyššimi priemernymi mzdami v ostatnych členskych štatoch. Rychla expanzia estonskej ekonomiky a rast zamestnanosti, sprevadzane negativnym rastom populacie, prispeli k potrebe po kvalifi kovanej zahraničnej pracovnej sile(2). Navyše, nedavna reforma systemu vzdelavania sa prejavila v nedostatku technickych odbornikov v niektorych oblastiach(3). A teda nie je prekvapujuce, že estonska vlada zaviedla sustredenu, selektivnu, dopytovo zameranu imigračnu strategiu v “globalnom boji o talent”(4),(5). Cieľom reštriktivnej imigračnej politiky je ziskať hlavne kvalifi kovanych expertov v strategickych ekonomickych oblastiach, vyhnuť sa nekontrolovanej imigracii a tiež prispieť k udržateľnosti a konkurencieschopnosti estonskej ekonomiky. Prva časť predkladaneho prispevku poskytuje prehľad o tom, na koho sa vzťahuje klasifi kacia “kvalifi kovanej” pracovnej sily a tiež estonsky pohľad na ziskavanie a udržanie talentov. Druha časť sa orientuje na existujucu pravnu upravu, ktora sa zaobera podmienkami a procesmi pre imigraciu kvalifi kovanej pracovnej sily do Estonska. V tejto časti sa doraz kladie na relativne nedavnu novelu zakona o cudzincoch z roku 2004, ktora vstupila do platnosti v roku 2008 a upravuje podmienky vstupu a pobytu v krajine.