After the 2006 Amendments to the Law on Aliens, all non-nationals who were permanent residents were automatically given long-term residence permits. Others will have to reside legally for 5 years to be eligible. Although applicants must pass a written and standardised simple language test as of 1 July 2007, the procedure is short and no integration test or course is imposed. Long-term residents can live in Estonia for an unlimited period, but cannot leave the EU for more than a year. They are still only partially secure because even the Estonian-born or residents of over 20 years can be expelled at any time. Long-term residents have equal access as Estonians to take a job, use social security and social assistance or move and live in other EU Member States. Estonia would reach best practice on rights associated if non-nationals could hold a long-term residence permit in another EU Member State, as in seven MIPEX countries.
