Finland approves visas for 123 Thai berry-pickers after tough new human-rights screening

Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has issued just 123 seasonal work visas to wild-berry pickers from Thailand this summer, down from well over 3,000 before the pandemic. A 22 July Yle investigation reveals that almost all of the approved visas (107) were granted to pickers recruited by the Lieksa-based company Pohjola Foods, which agreed to shoulder the full cost of return flights, insurance and visa fees – roughly €1,500 per worker. Officials say that covering these costs reduces the risk that migrants become indebted and vulnerable to labour exploitation. The foreign ministry rejected more than 1,900 other Thai applications after an unprecedented, case-by-case assessment carried out together with the labour inspectorate and police. For the first time, decision-makers also used last summer’s labour-inspection reports and ongoing criminal investigations into forced labour in the berry sector as supporting evidence. Consular chief Jussi Tanner told Yle that even a reasonable suspicion of trafficking or debt bondage was now grounds for refusal, adding that Finland “cannot wait for final court verdicts when people’s safety is at stake.” Pohjola Foods CEO Akseli Nevalainen said the firm decided to pay all travel expenses once it became clear that most competitors’ visa requests were being denied. He acknowledged that the move would raise wholesale prices for blueberries and lingonberries but argued that ethical recruitment is becoming a prerequisite for access to foreign markets. The company expects its Thai crews to harvest up to 800 tonnes of berries across northern and eastern Finland, roughly half of which will be exported to Asia and North America. The drastic cut in foreign pickers has already pushed some rival processors to warn that millions of kilos of berries could be left in the forests. The government has urged students, the unemployed and refugees with residence permits to take advantage of strong demand: the going rate for hand-picked blueberries is around €3 a kilo. Researchers say the shift could accelerate a longer-term transition away from tourist visas toward formal seasonal-work permits that include clear labour-rights protections. For global mobility and relocation managers, the case illustrates how heightened human-rights due-diligence requirements can abruptly narrow visa pipelines – even in traditionally open sectors such as Finland’s wild-berry industry. Companies planning to bring in non-EU seasonal staff this autumn or next summer are advised to budget for full travel costs, audit recruitment agents, and prepare detailed evidence of fair working and housing conditions to satisfy Finnish and EU scrutiny.