Key Points
- Poland announced changes to its immigration laws on July 29, 2022, including introducing new regulations for the issuance of work permits, the labor market test progress, and special permissions
Overview
The government of Poland introduced changes to the country’s immigration laws on July 29, 2022. These changes include:
- Clarifying the electronic submission process for work permits, work permit renewals, and special immigration permissions. Applications must now be submitted electronically exclusively through the praca.gov.pl portal instead of with local immigration authorities.
- The Local Labour Office (LLO) will now only send employers candidates who meet the requirements of a posted position and are interested in the job as part of the labor market test (LMT) process.
- Under the LMT process, the LLO will not be required to accept a job offer from an employer if the employer was penalized by the government in the last 356 days before the job offer was submitted or if the employer is involved in an ongoing proceeding relating to labor market law violations.
- New work permit applications and work permit renewal applications must include information on the LMT number (if an LMT was required) and the name of the job code for the position.
- Introduction of a new special permission form, including requiring information on the scope of work-related duties being performed by the applicant and criminal background information.
- The elimination of the option for splitting the validity of permissions into shorter periods for special permissions.
- Requirement for criminal declarations to be signed by the employer or an authorized representative, regardless of whether the statement was signed more than 30 days before the application submission. The Immigration Office will not accept criminal declarations signed by HR directors based on internal POA or CDs signed 35 days before the submission of a Work Permit or Special Permission application.
- Additional documents must be submitted for all work permit applications and extensions, except work permit extensions filed by posted workers. Only the ID page of a passport will need to be submitted now, rather than all pages. For locally hired workers, employers need to submit only documents that confirm the payment of social security contributions and the contract between the worker and employer.
- Increased the fee for plastic Residence Cards to PLN 100.
What are the Changes?
The government of Poland introduced changes to the country’s immigration system, including changes to the work permit process and an increase in plastic residence card fees. These changes include additional document and background information requirements and increased costs for issuing plastic Residence Cards. The government also reduced the number of job postings sent to eligible applicants during the LMT process. According to the government of Poland, these changes aim to make it faster and easier for employers to hire qualified candidates.
Looking Ahead
Please continue to monitor the Government of Poland’s website for more information on Polish immigration updates.
Written by: Jessie Butchley, Global Immigration Writer, Envoy Global
Source: Office for Foreigners, Poland
