The main opposition party of Poland, PiS, wants the country to tighten the citizenship rules for foreign nationals residing in the country.
Poland currently has some of the most liberal citizenship laws in the EU. In order to be eligible to apply for Polish citizenship, a foreigner needs to reside in the country for at least three years.
According to PiS, this residency period requirement is very low, and it is not helping to control immigration. Thus, the party is saying that the country should follow the example of the other EU member states by increasing the residency requirement for citizenship applicants to ten years, Schengen.News reports.
As Rzeczpospolita explains, the authors of the amendment said that the requirement of ten years of uninterrupted residence in Poland instead of the current three would help to respond to growing immigration challenges, among others.
The proposed change responds to the need to ensure deeper integration of foreigners with Polish society, to adapt regulations to European Union standards and to respond to challenges related to growing immigration.
The authors further noted that the current three-year residency period is not a sufficient period for foreign nationals to master the Polish language at the B1 level, adapt to the country’s social and legal realities, and understand the culture.
Instead, the authors argued that a ten-year residency period requirement for help citizenship applicants to better prepare “for the role of Poland’s citizens”.
Ukrainians, Belarusians & Russians Top Polish Citizenship Beneficiaries
Data show that Poland has been granting citizenship to a large number of foreigners over the years. Among the top beneficiaries of the Polish citizenship are Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Russians.
According to Polish Ministry figures, a total of 3,509 Ukrainian citizens, 3,126 Belarusians, and 440 Russians were granted citizenship. As for 2024, data show that during that 12-month period, 5,533 Ukrainians, 4,096 Belarusians, and 559 Russians were recognised as Polish citizens.
Taking into account these numbers and increased immigration concerns, the authorities believe that the tightening of the rules is the right move. However, as Rzeczpospolita has learned, the Polish Ministry of Interior intends to wait until the new president is elected to start working on the new rules for citizenship.
In addition to the above-mentioned, Poland also plans to introduce a new higher fee for accepting an application for accepting applications and granting citizenship. The fee for confirming citizenship is also set to increase.