Wolt couriers face deportation risk after court ruling

By admin On Jun 18, 2025

The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) has since stopped approving entrepreneur-based residence permits for applicants relying solely on Wolt courier work. Photo: Vesa Moilanen / Lehtikuva

Foreign couriers delivering food for Wolt in Finland face uncertainty after a recent court decision that reclassified them as employees rather than entrepreneurs. The ruling affects hundreds of workers who obtained or applied for residence permits based solely on their courier roles.

In May, Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court ruled that food couriers working under contract with Wolt are not independent entrepreneurs. The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) has since stopped approving entrepreneur-based residence permits for applicants relying solely on Wolt courier work.

“If you are not an entrepreneur, you cannot be granted an entrepreneur’s residence permit,” said Kari Koivisto from the Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre), which evaluates business plans for permit applications. Applicants must now submit alternative business plans or withdraw their applications.

According to Migri, around 300 such permits have been granted, with several dozen based entirely on Wolt contracts. The agency said no negative decisions had been made yet based on the court ruling, but the guidance from ELY Centres has changed following the decision.

One affected worker is “Godfrey,” a pseudonym for a Nigerian courier who fears publicity could harm his pending application. He has worked part-time with Wolt while completing a degree in data engineering at a Finnish university of applied sciences. Now, with his student permit expiring, he applied for a residence permit as an entrepreneur.

“I’m just waiting, and I’m concerned about what the court ruling means for my application,” he said.

Despite graduating with a focus on machine learning and AI, Godfrey has struggled to secure a traineeship or job in his field. He completed his mandatory work placement in a university lab. He continues to apply for data analytics roles and is expanding his technical skills in the meantime.

“I’m optimising my skills and developing myself so that I am ready when a job opportunity comes,” he said.

In the meantime, he has relied on courier work, earning up to €3,000 a month. But with his permit status in question and the court ruling now in force, the clock is ticking.

If rejected, Godfrey might still apply for a work-based permit, but only if Wolt starts offering employment contracts—a move the company has not yet confirmed. Couriers fear that regular employment contracts, which include social contributions, could lead to fewer available jobs.

“We fear that there will only be work for a few and we don’t know if we are in that group or not,” Godfrey said.

Wolt’s Public Policy Director Olli Koski told Yle the company is reviewing the court’s decision. “In a country where many immigrants struggle to find jobs, we think this is a sad interpretation,” he said.

The outcome may determine whether hundreds of foreign couriers can remain in Finland. For Godfrey, the next three months could decide whether his future remains in the country or ends in deportation.

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi