Thai blueberry pickers in the forest in Juva, South Savo. LEHTIKUVA
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In a first-of-its-kind effort, the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) has implemented follow-up monitoring of working conditions for Thai wild-berry pickers, with checks carried out in collaboration with Finnish border authorities at the airport. This summer marked the first season where Thai berry pickers required work-based residence permits, replacing prior visa entry requirements due to concerns over exploitation and trafficking in previous harvest seasons.
Migri processed around 1,300 residence permit applications from Thai berry pickers, approving about 900 and rejecting around 400. As this new work-based permit category is aimed at protecting workers’ rights, Migri took proactive steps to verify that terms of employment—such as pay and accommodations—were met as promised.
“This follow-up monitoring would not have been possible without the crucial support of the Border Guard. Their assistance allowed us to hear from Thai workers directly before they left Finland,” said Tirsa Forssell, Director of the Control and Monitoring Department at Migri.
Most information was gathered through a questionnaire administered to 150 berry pickers on two days, with interpreters available for in-depth interviews. Migri is now reviewing the collected data as it prepares for a new regulatory change: next year, berry pickers will need a seasonal work permit.
Automated Follow-Up for Ongoing Monitoring
Automated checks are now central to Migri’s follow-up procedures for other work permits, flagging potential issues in areas like salary compliance and academic progress for specific visa types. In the case of seasonal berry pickers, automated monitoring was not possible due to the short duration of their stay and often cash-based payments, which do not appear in Finnish banking systems.
“Our aim was to gather analytical data to improve oversight for future seasons,” Forssell noted, emphasizing Migri’s goal of refining Finland’s entry and employment systems to better protect foreign seasonal workers.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
