According to the daily, the Foreign Ministry plans to seal the visa issuance system. It reported that by 2022 more than half a million
visas had been issued to African and Asian citizens.
Some foreigners used them as a pass to Western Europe. The article stressed that the lack of control led to some labor agencies profiting considerably by attracting foreigners from Asia to work in Polish industry.
“Universities (not only private ones) acted in a similar way, making a living out of the students they attracted from Africa,” Gazeta Wyborcza highlighted.
Consequently, the Foreign Ministry and the Interior Ministry have set up a team that seeks to change the laws so that similar abuses no longer occur.
Cash-for-visa-scandal
The
cash-for-visa-scandal was first reported last year. It has been alleged that former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Piotr Wawrzyk (under the previous government) facilitated visas for temporary workers from about 20 countries.
“In 2022, there were approximately 200,000 of them, of which over 130,000 came from Muslim countries,” the daily added.
Curbing uncontrolled migrationahead
Over the next few months, the government intends to push through amendments to seven laws that would curb
uncontrolled migration to Poland.
“According to our information, these are changes to the Law on Foreigners, the Law on Employment Promotion, the Law on Entrepreneurs and the Law on the Social Security System,” the newspaper reported.
At the same time, the government wants to improve staff in provincial offices. “It is there that work permits are issued, based on which visas are later issued,” the daily stated.
