Poland: New Residence Permit for Humanitarian Visa Holders and In-Country Visa Applications for Some Applicants

The Polish government has announced the following changes to immigration rules: holders of humanitarian visas will be granted a government-fee free residence permit for a period of three years, with a streamlined application process. The list of countries eligible for this permit will be determined in a separate regulation (most likely Belarussian citizens). Benefits of the new type of residence permit will include the right to work under a residence permit (without a work permit) and that applicants will not need to provide documents regarding their employment in Poland, health insurance or proof of funds for support in Poland. Additionally, a new regulation is expected to be implemented that will allow limited groups of foreign nationals (to be published in the regulation but likely Belarussian and Ukrainian citizens) to obtain a Polish visa without traveling to their home country to appear at a Polish consulate, as is usually required. Under the new process, visa applications will be submitted through visa centers and not directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will process the application.