Finland has rejected the majority of this year’s seasonal work visa applications for foreign wild-berry pickers after authorities identified risks of labour exploitation and concerns over employers’ ability to meet their legal obligations.
According to the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, around 1,400 of the 1,600 applications processed so far have been refused.
Most of the applications — around 2,100 out of 2,200 in total — were submitted through Finland’s Embassy in Bangkok, which handles the vast majority of seasonal berry picker visa applications.
Smaller numbers of applications were also lodged in Vietnam, Nepal, India, Kazakhstan and Kenya.
New rules introduced in 2025
The visa refusals follow changes to Finland’s Seasonal Workers Act, introduced in 2025 to strengthen protections for foreign berry pickers and combat labour exploitation.
“The primary reason for refusal is that the mission processing the application is not satisfied that the employer will be able to fulfil its obligations as an employer,” said Katja Luopajärvi, Director of the Visa Unit at Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The ministry said recent allegations of serious criminal offences and legal proceedings in the wild-berry sector had also been taken into account during the visa assessment process.
