Starting in June 2025, many foreign nationals will lose the opportunity to work in Poland, following the tightened regulations that are expected to become effective.
The new changes come after the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, signed the Act on Conditions for Permitting the Employment of Foreigners in the Territory of Poland, Schengen.News reports.
The regulations, planned to take effect from June 1, 2025, aim to reduce the current abuses and also streamline procedures related to the employment of internationals. They also aim to help reduce the backlog of cases handled by the country’s authorities while ensuring full digitalisation of proceedings, according to a report from Le Global.
The recently signed act defines the conditions which determine when and how foreigners can work, who is in charge of these decisions and what procedures should be followed. In addition, it also covers programs that help internationals find jobs in Poland and integrate into society, which are funded by the Labour Fund.
The act also introduces specific types of businesses that internationals are allowed to run and emphasises groups of foreign nationals who are excluded from the act.
It comes after the conditions for engaging in these activities are governed by separate Polish law. This is, after in some cases, such activities are covered by international agreements or include activities that are not related to the Polish job market.
These groups include internationals with permanent residence in Poland, those who have a refugee status, or those who have been granted permission to stay in the Republic of Poland for humanitarian reasons.
Increasing Number of International Workers “Threatens” Local Employees
In June last year, the Labour Market Barometer said that the number of foreign workers in Poland is increasing significantly.
The same source revealed that in 2023, a total of 530,000 international workers were registered in Poland, marking a notable increase compared to 260,000 registered in 2022.
In spite of the fact that foreign workers help Poland to deal with labour shortages noted in several industries, trade union representatives raised concerns about how they are affecting local employees.
In June last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland announced that the number of work visas issued by Polish consulates declined by one-third.
Back then, authorities in Poland also announced that the country tightened visa-issuing rules for international visitors planning to visit their family members working in Poland.