Finland Issues Residence Permits to 900 Thai Berry Pickers for 2024 Harvest Season
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Finland has processed 1,300 residence permit applications from Thai wild-berry pickers.
2. The country has approved 900 permits for Thais to work during the harvest season.
3. Permit applications for Thais have been processed within 20 days.
Finland has granted residence permits to 900 Thai berry pickers for the harvest season, allowing them to work in the country. Finnish authorities disclosed that around 1,300 applications were submitted by Thai berry pickers this year, all of which have been processed.
Due to the manageable number of applications, authorities were able to process them quickly in time for the harvest. While 900 applications were approved, the remaining 400 were rejected, mainly for failing to meet all requirements.
In March, Finland suspended the reception of Schengen visa applications from Thai berry pickers for the second consecutive year. For the first time, the country now requires Thai wild-berry pickers to obtain a residence permit for an employed person to work during the summer season.
"Wild-berry pickers from Thailand coming to Finland this summer must have a residence permit for an employed person. All pickers have received a decision on their residence permit application," stated the Finnish Immigration Service.
This decision aims to prevent labor exploitation and human trafficking. Tuuli Huhtilainen, responsible for processing residence permit applications, emphasized the necessity of this measure to assess applicants and deny permits if exploitation is suspected.
Permit Applications Processed Within 20 Days
Thai berry pickers have been able to apply for permits since late May. To ensure enough resources before the berry-picking season, Finnish authorities expedited the application process. According to the Finnish Immigration Service, permit applications with positive decisions were processed within an average of 20 days, while negative decisions took 35 days.
"This summer, the average processing time for positive decisions has been 20 days. The processing time for negative decisions has been slightly longer, at 35 days," noted the Finnish Immigration Service.
Additionally, Finnish employers must fulfill certain requirements and submit necessary information. After receiving the permit from Finland, Thai berry pickers still need local authority permission to leave Thailand.