"Finland: New rules for wild-berry pickers,"

Every summer in Finland, a few thousand wild-berry pickers, many of them from Thailand, apply to fly to the Nordic nation in order to pick wild berries found in the woodlands and tundra in the region.

From this year onwards, all wild-berry pickers will be required to apply for a residence permit for an employed person, confirmed the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) on Tuesday (July 16).

The new rules were taken following "the serious charges and suspicions related to trafficking in human beings during the 2023 harvest season," as well as "legislative amendments that have entered into force in Thailand," according to the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs...

This is the first time that the same requirements and the same examination apply to wild-berry pickers' work as they have always applied to other employees recruited from abroad...

The new rules, say the Finnish authorities, will end the link between picking and tourism and force companies to employ pickers on a contractual basis. This change is intended to guarantee the pickers a minimum income...

The Finnish Immigration Service acknowledges that many of the applicants find it hard to contact the Finnish authorities independently, partly because of language, and often because there are "coordinators" standing between employees and employers, who also take a share of the income generated...

The Finnish authorities say that they continue to monitor the situation and make sure that even after the pickers arrive in Finland, the terms of employment stated on the contracts are applied in practice...