Amendments to Aliens’ Act to ease work permit procedure
Berry-pickers to need only tourist visa
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Changes to Finland’s Aliens’ Act which take effect on the first of May mean that some foreigners who come to work in Finland for less than three months will not need to get a work permit.
The change applies to pickers of berries, vegetables, fruit, and special plants, as well as those hired to work at fur farms.
Non-EU citizens who get other types of work will continue to need work permits.
"There has already been an increase in foreign labour on offer", says Ilkka Voutilainen, executive director of the Berry Farmers’ Association of the Suonenjoki region. There have been plenty of requests. For the first time, inquiries have come from Belarus and Ukraine.
However, Voutilainen does not expect the number of foreign berry pickers to increase from last year’s level. He expects that more than 4,000 pickers will be hired, about half of whom will be Finns and half foreigners.
Voutilainen believes that the enlargement of the EU will bring more pickers from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. "Poland remains a question mark", he says.
Summer work in Finland will also be cheaper for those coming from nearby countries outside the EU, such as Russia. This year they will only have to pay a fee of EUR 35 for a tourist visa, instead of EUR 134 in fees for visas and work permits.
The Ministry of Labour reports that about 24,000 work permits are granted each year. More than half are for agricultural work - mostly berry-picking.
The legislative changes that take effect in May are aimed at bringing in more flexibility and reducing the red tape involved in work permit procedures.
There is also an amendment to the criminal code, extending the ban on work discrimination to cover discrimination based on nationality.
It will also be a crime for an employer to exploit a foreigner’s ignorance of his or her legal rights.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 28.4.2004 - TODAY |
 Amendments to Aliens’ Act to ease work permit procedure |
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