Analysis of the Counselling Service for Applicants for International Protection and Returnees

In Estonia, a counselling service has been set up for the applications for international protection and those being returned, either voluntarily or forcibly. The goal of this counselling service is to offer these target groups free, reliable, and impartial information in their own language, guiding them through their rights and obligations during their application of the international protection or departure process. Around 75-100 people per year are seeking the international protection in Estonia. However, the numbers shifted after Russia’s aggression in Ukraine in 2022; and since then, Estonia has welcomed over 40,000 applicants for temporary protection and nearly 3,000 international protection applicants from Ukraine. These individuals often require advice on procedural or Estonian legal matters. Thee number of those instructed to leave Estonia remains consistent, with about 1,000 foreigners asked to depart each year.

For these groups, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) offers counselling via three designated counsellors. This study assesses the current state of this service, analysing its efficacy for both the target groups (the applicants or returnees) and the related stakeholders such as PPA officials, reception and accommodation centres, human rights organisations, and others.

The objective of this analysis is twofold: to provide a holistic view of the counselling service by gathering feedback from both the providers and beneficiaries of the service, and to pinpoint current challenges, such as third-party cooperation, that might need further development.