New law on employing foreigners about to enter into force in '22

The Ministry of Labor and Technology Development has completed work on the assumptions on which the new Act on Employment of Foreigners will be based. The changes would enter into force at the beginning of 2022.

"We predict that in the next few years the demand for foreigners' work will continue to grow by several or a dozen percent annually. The Polish legal system defining the rules of foreigners' access to the labor market, although assessed as one of the simplest and most effective in the EU in terms of attracting economic migrants, requires changes because in recent years it has ceased to meet the challenges of the modern labor market," the ministry stated.

The purpose of the new act is, inter alia, increasing the share of highly qualified employees in the labor market, improving the efficiency and speed of procedures for issuing work permits, implementing a safe, clear, and electronic system for handling processes legalizing the employment of foreigners, allowing the state to access full information on foreigners taking up employment in Poland and reducing emerging abuse.

There are also foreseen changes in competencies in the field of "classic" work permits, like transferring the competence of the authority to issue these permits to the county level.

It is planned that the proposed act will enter into force on 1 January 2022 with an additional period needed to adapt the IT systems of approx. 2 years.

(PAP)