New law extends from 3 to 5 years the time of waiting for residence status

Under a new law introduced with the aim of bringing Poland into line with EU practice, foreigners will have to live in the country for at least five years, instead of the three at present, before they are entitled to residence status. Under the new law, which became effective yesterday, a period of study will not be counted towards the five years. Another change relates to finances. A foreigner will now have to have, in addition to sufficient money for himself and his family to live on, a reasonable amount to cover any medical treatment. At the same time, the Polish immigration authorities are introducing a computerized system to keep records of foreigners involved in crimes such as car theft, weapons smuggling, and the handling of false identity documents. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 3) M.T.