Foreign couriers working for Wolt in Finland now face major uncertainty after a recent court decision redefined their legal status. Many of these workers, including international students and recent graduates, are now caught in limbo over their right to stay in the country.
Foreign couriers in Finland no longer qualify as entrepreneurs
In May, the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland ruled that food couriers contracted by Wolt are employees, not independent entrepreneurs. As a result, the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) has stopped granting residence permits to applicants who rely solely on their Wolt courier work.
This decision directly affects hundreds of individuals who obtained or applied for residence based on their delivery work.
Kari Koivisto from the Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) explained the implications clearly. “If you are not an entrepreneur, you cannot be granted an entrepreneur’s residence permit,” he stated.
The ELY Centre is now rejecting business plans that involve courier-only work. Applicants must either provide revised business plans involving different services or voluntarily withdraw their applications.
Migri has confirmed that around 300 permits were previously granted under courier-based business plans. Several dozen of those relied entirely on Wolt delivery work.
As of now, no applications have been denied solely because of the court ruling, but the shift in interpretation has already taken effect across the immigration system.
One person affected is “Godfrey” — a pseudonym for a Nigerian student who recently completed a data engineering degree in Finland. With his student permit set to expire, he applied for an entrepreneur residence permit based on his part-time courier job with Wolt.
Now, that application is on hold. “I’m just waiting, and I’m concerned about what the court ruling means for my application,” he said.
Despite his academic focus on machine learning and artificial intelligence, Godfrey has not been able to secure a job in his field. His only practical experience came from a lab placement at his university. While he continues applying for data jobs, courier work has been his primary income.
“I’m improving my skills and building myself up, so that when an opportunity comes, I’ll be ready,” he added.
Godfrey has been earning up to €3,000 a month through Wolt. It was enough to live on and keep applying for roles in tech. But now, with the legal shift, his future in Finland is uncertain.
If his current permit is denied, he might try for a work-based permit. But that would only be possible if Wolt begins offering employment contracts—something the company has yet to confirm.
“We worry that only a few couriers will get employment contracts,” Godfrey said. “We don’t know if we’ll be part of that group or not.”
Olli Koski, Public Policy Director at Wolt, told Yle that the company is assessing the court’s ruling. “In a country where many immigrants struggle to find jobs, we think this is a sad interpretation,” he said.
The decision could lead to major changes in Finland’s gig economy. If courier work no longer qualifies for self-employment permits, hundreds of foreign workers may be forced to leave the country.
For now, individuals like Godfrey can only wait. In the next few months, they must either find new paths to legal residency or prepare to leave Finland altogether.
