Poland has considerably diminished the variety of visas it points to international nationals, with cuts reaching as excessive as 90% in some classes, authorities officers mentioned this week.
Henryka Mościcka-Dendys, Poland’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, introduced the choice, citing rising considerations over abuse of the nation’s visa system.
Talking to reporters, she defined that Poland had beforehand provided a number of the most accessible pathways to authorized residency within the European Union, however that openness had more and more been exploited.
“In relation to visas, we have now a lower in some classes by 30%, and in others by as a lot as 90%,” Mościcka-Dendys mentioned. She didn’t specify which classes or nationalities have been most affected, however emphasised that the transfer was essential to curb irregular migration.
Previous to 2023, a Polish visa was usually thought of the best path to legalizing one’s keep within the EU, the deputy minister famous. Nonetheless, Polish authorities noticed an increase in migrants utilizing the system to enter the Schengen Space irregularly, prompting a significant coverage overhaul.
“Now we have considerably diminished free entry to a Polish visa and thus the potential for abusing it for varied functions. Earlier than 2023, a Polish visa was the best solution to legalise your keep within the European Union,” Mościcka-Dendys mentioned.
Poland, like a number of different European nations, has struggled to stability the necessity for international labor and academic exchanges with rising home considerations about border safety and unlawful migration. Regardless of a collection of measures aimed toward curbing arrivals, the nation continues to report a excessive variety of migrants in search of to enter or stay illegally.
Some context
For greater than a yr, Polish officers have been engaged on an up to date migration coverage supposed to ascertain better management over who enters the nation. The broader purpose, authorities say, is to cut back migration strain alongside Poland’s borders whereas safeguarding authorized pathways for real college students and employees.
Among the many current measures, the Polish Senate final week handed laws tightening visa necessities for worldwide college students. Underneath the brand new guidelines, potential college students should display at the very least a B2 stage of proficiency within the language through which their educational program will probably be performed, a transfer designed to make sure that academic visas should not used as a loophole for unauthorized entry.
Different rules are additionally being strengthened to stop universities from admitting ineligible college students in alternate for monetary incentives, officers mentioned.
What we all know
In response to Nairametrics, Poland’s decisive motion comes within the wake of a significant “cash-for-visa” scandal uncovered underneath the earlier authorities. Investigations reported in October 2024 revealed critical irregularities within the visa issuance course of that allegedly value the general public thousands and thousands of euros, resulting in a complete evaluation of utility procedures.
- International Minister Radek Sikorski said that the reforms purpose to rectify the mismanagement and restore integrity to Poland’s visa system. The Polish Supreme Audit Workplace confirmed that a number of consulates, notably in Asia and Africa, have been implicated within the scandal, with circumstances involving important funds for expedited or fraudulent work visas.
- The audit documented 46 irregularities, together with situations the place people from India posed as filmmakers to acquire visas and others who used questionable intermediaries to entry the European Union.
The federal government says the brand new measures are designed to boost scrutiny and make sure that solely certified candidates are granted entry to Polish visas, notably these permitting journey throughout the Schengen zone.
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