Adaptation Programme

The aim of the adaptation programme is to support the rapid and smooth adaptation to local life by the foreigners settling in Estonia, as well as the acquisition of basic knowledge and skills necessary for coping independently.

It is important that, with the help of the information that supports adaptation, new immigrants can participate in Estonian society, including by working, and participating in lifelong learning and civil society. It is also important to encourage new immigrants to acquire basic Estonian language skills, which will help them to better cope in the local society and information space.

Successful adaptation helps the immigrants who have settled here to feel less isolated from the local cultural space and supports their coping and ability to contribute to the economic and social development of the new host country.

All immigrants under the age of five living in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit or right of residence can participate in the adaptation programme for free.

Until May 2021, the adaptation programme and field of activity was administered by the Ministry of the Interior. As of May 2021, the Ministry of Culture has been responsible for this field of activity.

The Settle in Estonia program, which is comprised of various training programmes, provides an overview of how the Estonian state and society function and how daily life is organised. The programme provides information on topics related to work and entrepreneurship in Estonia, as well as studying, doing research and family life, and also includes the study of basic Estonian (A1 and A2). One can also take part in discussions, share experiences and find answers to the most important questions related to adaptation in Estonia. All the training modules include real life examples that help to better understand what has been learned and how to apply the acquired knowledge in everyday life.
 

The thematic one-day training modules of the adaptation program are conducted in English and Russian, and mainly in Tallinn, Tartu and Narva. A1 and A2 language training courses also take place in Tallinn, Tartu and Narva, and as of the beginning of 2021, language training have been conducted without an intermediate language.

Participation in the programme is voluntary for new immigrants (except for the beneficiaries of international protection and temporary protection) and free of charge for the participants.

The training programme was started in 2015 and currently more than 11,000 people have participated. The basic, work and business modules, as well as language-learning component, are the most popular.

The adaptation programme, as well as the conditions for participation and the procedure for conducting the programme, are prescribed in the Adaptation Programme established by the Minister of the Interior’s Regulation no. 34 dated 13 August 2014. 

Financing

The 85% of the adaptation programme is financed from the European Union's European Social Fund (ESF) and 15% from the national budget.

The international protection module of the Adaptation Programme is funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Estonia.

Information sources

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/settleinestonia 
• Website: https://www.settleinestonia.ee/ 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJdHesano69gaMPx6edvnjQ 
• Issuu: https://issuu.com/settleinestonia