Estonia: Information on whether a residency permit system is enforced to control internal migration of non-citizen residents within Estonia
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | EST19058.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Estonia: Information on whether a residency permit system is enforced to control internal migration of non-citizen residents within Estonia, 1 December 1994, EST19058.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abff50.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to article 15 of the Law on Aliens which was adopted by the Estonian parliament on 8 July 1993, every alien is required to inform Estonian authorities of the circumstances which serve as a basis for his/her residence permit (Estonia 8 July 1993, 6). Among these circumstances is any change in his/her permanent residence (ibid.). According to a Reuters report and to the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights Critique: Review of the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993, the Aliens law of Estonia came into force on 12 July 1993 (5 May 1994; 1994, 110).
According to an official at the Consulate of Estonia in Toronto, the residence permit is linked to the place of residence (1 Dec. 1994). As a result, a non-citizen is required by law to provide his new address to the local authorities at his new place of residence (ibid.). In addition, The official stated that one may lose a residence permit by leaving Estonia for an indeterminate period of time without informing the Estonian authorities (ibid.). The authorities may decide to cancel the residence permit after obtaining knowledge of the resident's departure (ibid.).
In the absence of any stated purpose within the law, the DIRB is unable to provide comment on its intention or purpose vis à vis the residence permit requirement of aliens.
Information on this topic additional to that already available to you is currently unavailable to the DIRB in Ottawa.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Consulate of the Republic of Estonia, Toronto. 1 December 1994. Telephone interview with official.
Estonia. 8 July 1993. Unofficial translation of the amended version of the Law on Aliens adopted by the Estonian parliament and subject to proclamation by the President of the Republic.
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR). 1994. Critique: Review of the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993. New York: LCHR.
Reuters. 5 May 1994. BC Cycle. "CFSP Statement on Implementation of the Estonian Aliens Law." (NEXIS)
