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Estonia simplifies procedure to attract foreign talents

Xinhua, January 26, 2017 Adjust font size:

Estonia has launched a broader plan including simplifying requirements for hiring foreign experts to attract more specialists to Estonia and enrich the local economy, the Estonian government said on Wednesday.

Estonian Minister of the Interior Andres Anvelt confirmed a list of Estonian startups that may hire employees from third countries more easily than before, said an official statement.

These 339 companies are freed of the obligation to pay foreign experts at least Estonia's average gross monthly pay. They will also not have to ask the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund for permission to hire foreign experts, which is usually granted only if the Fund believes that the vacant position cannot be filled by a resident of Estonia.

"We wish to simplify the current procedure for promising startups," said Anvelt, who suggested one of the reasons for Estonia is short of the estimated several thousand Information Technology (IT) experts is the conditions which newly launched startups often cannot fulfil.

Earlier, Estonian Ministry of the Interior announced that a migration consultation service will be launched from March 1, 2017 to companies that hire foreign workforce as well as foreigners planning to move to or already living in Estonia.

Moreover, the information and communication technology sector (ICT) will be excluded from the immigration quota, which is set at 1,317 people for 2017, 0.1 percent of the country's permanent population. Endit