[offa]

"The Citizenship Act provides the following requirements for naturalisation of those people who had arrived in the country after 1940, the majority of whom were ethnic Russians: knowledge of the Estonian language, Constitution and a pledge of loyalty to Estonia. The government offers free preparation courses for the examination on the Constitution and the Citizenship Act, and reimburses up to 380 euros for language studies."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see anything particularly bad about this policy. Considering the fact that the Baltic countries were under Russian occupation for a while, I don't have much of a problem with them making those Russians who decide to stay learn the language. This is coming from an ethnic Russian whose family used to live in Latvia, and who now resides in Canada - learning English was also required here since I wanted to obtain Canadian citizenship.

[amigoMigo]

You weren't born in Canada. That's why you had to take a language exam to gain citizenship. Estonia forces people born in the country of "wrong" ethnicity to go through naturalization process.

[offa]

Let's not forget that the 'wrong ethnicity' invaded Estonia in the 1940s and occupied it until 1991. As someone who has spent enough time in Russian communities which outright refuse to learn the language of their host countries, it's a little hard to sympathize with those of my fellow countrymen who cannot even take a language exam while also wanting citizenship thanks to the Soviet Union's occupation of the Baltic states. But yes, I agree that my particular situation is, of course, different.

[shitgoose]

Estonia, as other 2 baltic states, was part of Russian empire until 1920. No politics, just historical context.

[free652]

>learning English was also required here since I wanted to obtain Canadian citizenship.

Is it required for people that were born in Canada? And is it English or French? Or both?