After months of uncertainty, the Finnish government has officially decided to implement stricter measures against foreign wild berry pickers coming to the country.
In an attempt to prevent the exploitation of foreign workers, the Finnish authorities have introduced new rules that require these workers to apply for a seasonal work permit to enter Finland, Schengen.News reports.
As of February 18, foreign berry pickers have to obtain a seasonal work permit, which includes a seasonal work visa, work certificate or seasonal work residence permit.
In addition, a seasonal work permit for this type of work requires an employment contract, meaning that the foreign workers for berry picking activities must secure a contract of employment and agree upon the working hours and compensation.
Foreign Berry Pickers to Obtain Permits Based on Duration of Their Work Contract
The duration of their contract can determine the type of permit that foreign workers in this agricultural sector have to obtain.
Those who come to Finland to work for less than three months are required to apply for a seasonal work visa if their country of origin does not have a visa liberalisation agreement with Finland. This rule could easily apply to Thai berry pickers who are one of the most common nationalities to come to Finland for such purposes and also need a Schengen visa to enter the country.
Those coming from a visa-free country and have secured an employment contract, are required to apply for a seasonal work certificate. Their counterparts from a visa-free country but without employment contracts are exempt from the requirement to apply for a seasonal work certificate.
Foreign nationals who come to Finland to work for more than three months, have to apply for a seasonal work residence permit, the longevity of which is determined by the employment relationship.
Your employer must meet the employment conditions for your application. The employer can find information about their obligations on the page For employers of seasonal workers.
Finnish Immigration Service
If the worker plans to carry out the berry-picking activity between six and nine months, an availability assessment will be applied to the application. The Finnish Immigration Service will decide on this application, depending on certain factors.
The new rules come as a result of the Finnish government attempting to prevent human trafficking but there have also been some national efforts to tighten rules for foreigners who want to obtain residence permits.
The Finnish government has submitted a proposal that makes it more difficult forandidates to obtain permanent residence permits, with work, education and language requirements being more enhanced. The government’s proposal to make changes to the Aliens Act was submitted on January 27th and is open for comments until March 7th.