Polish authorities are constantly working on developing and adjusting the existing laws in the country. Moreover, they are working not only on laws for citizens of the country, but also for foreigners. According to recent statistics, there are several million foreign nationals in Poland today. However, it is very difficult to count the exact number of foreigners.
People who have been living in Poland for more than two years often hear that once again officials have introduced changes. This summer they prepared a bill that includes many changes for foreigners.
We would like to draw your attention that you should not confuse the law and the bill. Everything that is said in the draft law is only proposals and edits to the law, which require more detailed consideration and adoption by the Polish authorities. In this article we have decided to compile all relevant changes from the new draft law, which may come into force in a few months.
Registration of a residence card via the Internet
The first change that is likely to affect foreigners in the next six months is related to obtaining documents for legal residence in the country. For many people it is well known that in most cases foreigners obtain a residence card and do it through a personal trip to the local Urząd.
Now officials are proposing to change the way this document is processed. Instead of going to Urząd in person and sitting in line, it is proposed to favor the online MOS service for such purposes. IMPORTANT: with the help of this platform, it will be possible to apply for any kind of residence card. Here is how it will work to obtain a visiting card through this service:
Registration on the platform.
Passing a small questionnaire (instead of filling out the form manually).
Signing the application for a residence card (can be done with a digital signature).
Waiting for the processing of the case and personal summoning of the foreigner to the local Urząd.
As you may have already realized, this scheme of work can significantly speed up the whole process of issuing a residence card. However, you still need to visit Urząd in person.
Prohibition of work without a special permit
The next item in the bill that concerns foreigners living in the country is work. Previously, foreigners could work in Poland on the basis of Umowa o dzieło and Umowa zlecenie, which greatly simplified employment. Now it is proposed to prohibit this possibility for all foreigners. Instead, they will be forced to sign an employment contract. It is reported that otherwise foreigners will be denied employment.
Are there any exceptions to the rules? Yes, this bill provides special conditions for citizens of Ukraine. They will continue to be able to start work without having a special work permit in Poland.
Increase in fines for employers
The next change is a consequent violation of the previous law. What do we mean by this? Employers must hire foreigners only on the basis of an employment contract who have a work permit. If employers decide to violate this point, they will be awaited by an increased fine. It can now range from 1 to 30 thousand PLN.
Formation of a unified online database of foreigners
Another change that officials from Poland are proposing is the possible creation of a whole single database of foreigners. Previously there was no such thing, and all existing services had to take information about a person from their own databases. Now it is proposed to create one online database, where there will be information and data about all foreigners who are on the territory of Poland. Not much is known about this item yet. However, it is clear that all services will be able to use it, including border guards, ZUS employees and so on.
Accelerated obtaining of the EU Blue Card
In our article earlier we told you what the EU Blue Card is and what exactly is required from a foreigner to obtain it. In fact, this process is not easy and can take a large amount of time. It is reported that the bill proposes to speed up the consideration of decisions that relate to family reunification under the EU blue card.
Moreover, the changes regarding the blue card do not end here. For holders of such cards will be created ideal conditions for doing business in Poland (the same as citizens of the country). They will also be able to get a job in all EU countries using the simplest procedure.
Today there is no exact timeframe when the above described changes will move from the status of «draft law» to the real Law on Foreigners in Poland. What is known now is that it should happen in the next six months. We would like to remind you that aksis migration agents are always on hand to help you with your relocation, legalization documents and even getting your children into school!
