Finland grants first residence permits to natural berry pickers, challenges remain in the sector
Finland has granted the first residence permits for natural berry pickers, with around 1,300 applications received. Of these, 900 have been approved. Pickers require a residence permit as berry picking is not covered by seasonal work laws. They need a work-based residence permit for picking.
However, entry to Finland is not solely dependent on Finnish residence permits. Pickers also require an exit permit from Thailand. Discussions are underway between Finnish and Thai authorities.
Challenges remain in the sector, according to findings during the application processing by the Immigration Bureau. If there were signs of work-based exploitation or human trafficking in the application, the decisions have been negative.
Applications from Thailand have been processed quickly, with the average processing time for positive decisions being 20 days and 35 days for negative ones.
“We will process the pickers’ permits as needed throughout the summer, new practices will be introduced next year,” says Tuuli Huhtilainen, who leads the processing of residence permits.