Immigration quota for 2026 set at 1,292 people
The government has set next year's immigration quota at 1,292 people, 15 fewer than the figure set two years ago.
The immigration quota is Estonia's own cap it sets on permanent migration for work and business from so-called third countries, here meaning non-EU citizens and those of the U.K., U.S. and Japan.
It is calculated as 0.1 percent of the permanent population meaning that since this figure has declined, so too has the quota.
Whereas in the past the quota has been divided based on the grounds for applying for a residence permit, or on the basis for issuing that permit, the interior ministry says this will not happen in 2026. Similarly, the quota will not be distributed across the course of the year.
Minister of the Interior Igor Taro (Eesti 200) said there is no longer a need to prescribe a more detailed breakdown. "This means that everyone can, as needed, use the quota, for example, to fill open positions with foreign labor. If, however, there is a sudden need to divide the quota, this can also be done on the fly — we would simply need to draft the corresponding regulation in cooperation with other ministries."
Highly skilled workers the ICT field, as well as foreign nationals working for or engaged in startups, are generally excluded from the quota, which also does not cover migration for family members.
Students and academics are not covered by the quota, nor are so-called top specialists whose employer pays them a minimum of 1.5 times the average gross monthly wage. Foreign nationals granted a temporary residence permit for short-term contracts are also excluded from the total.
While in the past the annual quota was often filled in the first few weeks of the year, in more recent years it has not been; interior ministry figures show the 2025 quota for Estonia, also set at 1,292, was less than two-thirds filled as of September 1 this year.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
