Finland Reports Increasing Visa Applications From Russian Nationals

According to the Finnish Consulate, the number of applications submitted by Russian nationals has been on the rise since last October, when COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, and it was possible for more people to apply for visas, while during the pandemic, only certain groups such as those with family or real estate in Finland were able to apply, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

The consulate further revealed that the most popular visa applications for June and July were tourist visas, scoring a ten per cent increase for this specific time frame.

Although the consulate says it isn’t entirely accurate to attribute the surge in the number of visa applications to the COVID-19 lifted measures, a slight increase was already expected.

Visa applications are submitted to the Finland Visa Application Centre in Saint Petersburg, which currently operates by appointment only. The next available visa appointments at this consulate are in August, with the main purpose of the authority being the processing of applications to be finished within ten days.

On the other hand, Finland has reported that its farms, especially berry farms, are experiencing decreasing numbers of seasonal workers, directly linked to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

According to Finnish Immigration Service, 13,870 certificates for seasonal work were granted last year, with 95.7 per cent or 13,287 workers being from Ukraine. However, these rates are far below this year, dropping to 4,456, represented by a 211 per cent decline.

“The number of submitted applications has been less than one-third compared to last year. The Russian invasion of Ukraine obviously affects the number of seasonal workers since the majority of them are Ukrainians,” Pauliina Helminen, the Director of Permit and Nationality Unit, says.

Moreover, the number of residence permits issued to seasonal workers is also decreasing. A seasonal work permit for work lasting from three to six months was issued to 692 people during the first half of the year, with those numbers being 1,619 in 2021. Another 262 permits have been issued to workers for a duration of six to nine months, almost halved compared to 403 in 2021.

The data from the Finnish authorities shows that 68 per cent of people applying for temporary protection are adults, and 20,153 are of working age – women of the working age being are the main applicants (75 per cent).