Visa suspension to Thai wild-berry pickers withdrawn

The government has withdrawn its earlier decision to suspend issuing of visas to Thai wild-berry pickers, said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a press release on Friday.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs suspended the issuing of visas to Thai berry pickers in November 2022 following certain ambiguities concerning wild-berry picking, including risk of trafficking in human beings.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment on Thursday stated that it is not possible to clarify the status of wild-berry pickers by amending the Seasonal Workers Decree alone and that instead the matter requires more comprehensive changes to the relevant legislation.

As the drafting of the necessary amendments will take time, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has no grounds to continue the suspension of the issuing of visas to berry pickers.

Possible visa applications will be accepted and each application will be processed individually in accordance with the Visa Code.

When processing applications, particular attention will be paid to the purpose of stay, the risk of trafficking, the reliability of the information provided in the application, and the sufficiency of the applicant’s financial resources.

Earlier, the Finnish Embassy in Bangkok has suspended issuing of visas to Thai wild-berry pickers.