Eesti 200 MP Hendrik Johannes Terras said the government plans to proceed with the change as quickly as possible, by amending the Aliens Act, the primary piece of legislation relating to the area, by as early as July this year.

This would roughly double Estonia's migration quota, set at the start of each year at a little over 1,300 and referring to third-country nationals.

The newly established skilled labor quota would be a maximum of 2,600 people per year, and would fluctuate according to the economic situation – likely between the lower figure and the higher figure.

2,600 people at present amounts to around 0.2 percent of the population of Estonia.

Terras said: "The current idea is that it will be in two phases. Initially, the exemption will be around 1,300 people, and if economic growth exceeds 2 percent, another 1,300 people will be added."

SDE had said that even as foreign skilled labor is needed, the total number of incoming foreign workers, if taking into account their families, would be around 9,000 per year.

This put SDE as ostensibly more anti-migration and pro-protection than the other two parties it had been in office with.

Recently exited interior minister and SDE leader Lauri Läänemets explained the position.

"The proposal, which we could not support, was that nearly two and a half thousand new workers would come here," he said.

"They would bring their families. In total, about 9,000 people would arrive per year. A simple calculation over ten years means 90,000 people," Läänemets went on.

"We cannot replace the Estonian population. /.../ The Estonian state is not prepared for [migration of] this scale. It would require investments in the education system. At some point, we would need English-language kindergartens and schools. As for the healthcare system, we are also unable to provide English-language services," he continued.

Läänemets said wage growth stagnation, caused by third-country nationals working for lower wages, would be a further issue.

Terras said that no progress could be made on anything, if every single issue was focused on.

"If we start seeing all the potential problems that could arise in Estonia, we might go crazy. We should certainly handle this responsibly, and that has been taken into account," the Eesti 200 MP said.

One company which would welcome a rise in foreign labor is Tallinn Airport-based aircraft maintenance firm Magnetic MRO.

The company says specialists in the field cannot be found cheaply in Europe, while under the current quota system, they have managed to hire only a few dozen people.

Magnetic MRO CEO Jan Kotka said: "We are constantly short of at least 40 to 50 people, and for example, Eesti Lennuakadeemia trains only three to five specialists in our field, per year."

"There are more specialists outside of Europe, and we have brought some here, but the process itself is quite complicated," Kotka continued.

"Licensed aircraft mechanics and aircraft maintenance mechanics are in the highest demand. The training period is very long, and there is a global shortage of aviation specialists, especially licensed mechanics, in Europe as well," he added.

Kotka said around 40 percent of Magnetic's 470-strong workforce is from another country, while the sector is still recovering from the effects of the Covid pandemic.

The migration quota allows temporary residence for third-country nationals, roughly meaning citizens of non-EU/EEA and non-NATO nations.

While the quota used to be regularly filled very quickly in the first few days of the year, last year's quota was still unfilled by October.

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