9 January 2023
Immigration
Impact: High
Summary
Citizens of Belarus and Ukraine, residing in the territory of the Republic of Poland, can apply directly to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland for a national visa, after meeting certain conditions. As of 28 December 2022, additional categories of Ukrainian and Belarusian citizens have been defined as eligible to apply for a visa in Poland, i.e. the Individuals who entered Poland based on the Poland.Business Harbour visa.
The Detail
On 27 December 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland updated a regulation on the issuance of national visas to foreign nationals residing in the territory of the Republic of Poland. There are new categories of foreign nationals who can apply for a visa in Poland.
Current law which was implemented on August 29, 2022, revolutionised the way visas to Poland can be granted to foreign nationals by allowing certain categories of foreign nationals to apply for them in Poland (not in a country of
citizenship).
Citizens of Belarus
In addition to the possibility to apply for a national visas for humanitarian reasons by a Belarusian citizen:
– in cases where the Belarusian individual who resided in Ukraine entered Poland after 24 February 2022 in connection with the military action on its territory,
– for drivers in international road transport, the new category of individuals who can apply for a national visa in Poland was defined in the Regulation, i.e.
Belarusian individuals who entered Poland based on the Poland.Business Harbour visa.
Citizens of Ukraine
In case of Ukrainian nationals, the following circumstances have allowed for applying for a national visa in Poland:
– being a driver in international road transport,
– being a pilot of a civilian aircraft or other crew member.
The updated regulation indicates a new category of Ukrainian nationals who can apply for a visa for humanitarian reasons in Poland, i.e. Ukrainian citizens who entered Poland based on the Poland.Business Harbour visa.
The Poland.Business Harbor program was launched by the government in 2020 – its goal is to develop the IT sector in Poland by attracting foreign companies and specialists in this field. Program participants can benefit from, among others, preferential visa paths for employees, business consulting or facilitated contact with accelerators, local autonomies and Special Economic Zones.
From September 5, 2022, companies from all over the world moving their business to Poland can apply for participation in the government program and move the employees under the special visa rules. The coordination is carried out by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency.
What this means
The solutions simplify the visa procedures and shorten the processing time of issuing national visas for citizens of Belarus and Ukraine residing on Polish territory by reducing the necessity to travel to a home country.
How we can help
Vialto Partners can help with:
– Assessing the individual immigration situation
– Planning of the immigration process
– Immigration compliance and obtaining the visas
Contact us
For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:
• Emilia Piechota, Director | emilia.piechota@vialto.com
• Tomasz Rdzanek, Senior Consultant | tomasz.rdzanek@vialto.com
Further information on Vialto Partners can be found here:
www.vialtopartners.com
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