Poland has significantly reduced the number of visas it issues to foreign nationals, with cuts reaching as high as 90% in some categories, government officials said this week.
Henryka Mościcka-Dendys, Poland’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced the decision, citing growing concerns over abuse of the country’s visa system.
Speaking to reporters, she explained that Poland had previously offered some of the most accessible pathways to legal residency in the European Union, but that openness had increasingly been exploited.
“When it comes to visas, we have a decrease in some categories by 30%, and in others by as much as 90%,” Mościcka-Dendys said. She did not specify which categories or nationalities were most affected, but emphasized that the move was necessary to curb irregular migration.
Prior to 2023, a Polish visa was often considered the easiest route to legalizing one’s stay in the EU, the deputy minister noted. However, Polish authorities observed a rise in migrants using the system to enter the Schengen Area irregularly, prompting a major policy overhaul.
“We have significantly reduced free access to a Polish visa and thus the possibility of abusing it for various purposes. Before 2023, a Polish visa was the easiest way to legalise your stay in the European Union,” Mościcka-Dendys said.
Poland, like several other European countries, has struggled to balance the need for foreign labor and educational exchanges with rising domestic concerns about border security and illegal migration. Despite a series of measures aimed at curbing arrivals, the country continues to record a high number of migrants seeking to enter or remain illegally.
Some context
For more than a year, Polish officials have been working on an updated migration policy intended to establish greater control over who enters the country. The broader goal, authorities say, is to reduce migration pressure along Poland’s borders while safeguarding legal pathways for genuine students and workers.
Among the recent measures, the Polish Senate last week passed legislation tightening visa requirements for international students. Under the new rules, prospective students must demonstrate at least a B2 level of proficiency in the language in which their academic program will be conducted, a move designed to ensure that educational visas are not used as a loophole for unauthorized entry.
Other regulations are also being strengthened to prevent universities from admitting ineligible students in exchange for financial incentives, officials said.
What we know
According to Nairametrics, Poland’s decisive action comes in the wake of a major “cash-for-visa” scandal uncovered under the previous government. Investigations reported in October 2024 revealed serious irregularities in the visa issuance process that allegedly cost the public millions of euros, leading to a comprehensive review of application procedures.
- Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski stated that the reforms aim to rectify the mismanagement and restore integrity to Poland’s visa system. The Polish Supreme Audit Office confirmed that multiple consulates, particularly in Asia and Africa, were implicated in the scandal, with cases involving significant payments for expedited or fraudulent work visas.
- The audit documented 46 irregularities, including instances where individuals from India posed as filmmakers to obtain visas and others who used questionable intermediaries to access the European Union.
The government says the new measures are designed to enhance scrutiny and ensure that only qualified applicants are granted access to Polish visas, particularly those allowing travel across the Schengen zone.
