Poland Reduces Visa Issuance for Foreigners

Poland has significantly reduced the issuance of visas for foreigners this year, cutting back by 50% to 90% depending on the type of visa, according to a report by the newspaper Rzeczpospolita.

Between January 1 and June 14, 2024, Poland issued 98,000 work visas, with the majority going to Belarusians (over 32,000), Ukrainians (over 47,000), and Georgians (3,659).

This is a sharp decline compared to the more than 284,000 work visas issued during the same period last year.

The newspaper also highlighted a significant drop in the issuance of humanitarian visas, which had been widely sought by Belarusian citizens in recent years.

From 2020 to 2023, nearly 55,000 humanitarian visas were issued. However, only 542 such visas have been issued in 2024.

The new leadership of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also suspended the issuance of visas under the Poland Business Harbour program, which was introduced by former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to attract IT experts.

Additionally, the Polish Prosecutor's Office has announced an investigation into a criminal case involving visa application fraud.

The investigation pertains to expedited visa applications submitted at Polish diplomatic missions in Hong Kong, Taiwan, the UAE, India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Qatar.

This drastic reduction in visa issuance reflects Poland's changing immigration policies and the increased scrutiny of visa applications amid concerns of fraud and the need to control foreign worker influx.