Nearly 11,000 seasonal workers allowed to work in Finland this summer

Summer is approaching and Finnish fruit and vegetable farms and agricultural employers are preparing to once again employ thousands of foreign workers in harvesting.

According to data published by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), there are already almost 11,000 people who have processed the necessary documentation before the authorities to be able to work in the fields.

"The processing of the applications of seasonal workers is progressing swiftly," the immigration agency says in a press release.

Most of the seasonal workers arrive in Finland for work for a short period of time in the summer. They can request for a certificate for seasonal work from the Finnish Immigration Service, under which they are permitted to work in Finland for up to 90 days.

Anyone staying longer than 90 days must apply for a residence permit for seasonal work.

According to Migri, as many as 10,050 certificates for seasonal work have already been issued between January and May this year.

The total number of decisions issued on certificates for seasonal work is 10,144. Seasonal work permits have been issued to 820 applicants, when the total number of decisions is 852.

Lower numbers

This year the numbers of certificate and permit concessions for this type of work are somewhat lower than those registered in 2020 at this time of year: 12,226 certificates and 1,316 residence permits for seasonal work.

As in previous years, most of the seasonal work permits are issued to Ukrainian nationals, according to Migri.

“We would like to thank seasonal workers and employers for starting the application process well in advance. We have received applications earlier than usual this year, which has made our work so much easier,” says Tutta Tuomainen, Head of Section for Seasonal Work Permits.

The median processing time for certificates for seasonal work was 22 days between January and April.