Work permits to be made easier for foreigners in Poland

Beginning in January, new legislation will be applied that will make it easier for foreign nationals to obtain employment in Poland, according to a report on Tuesday in the Polish press. Karolina Szyfter, an immigration lawyer at the Raczowski Paruch office, told Onet in an interview that the changes will be two-fold: the first, to be implemented at the end of November of this year, comes from the implementation of a European Union directive, and applies to entrepreneurs, who will not have to enlist in a formal labor agreement, as was necessary in the past. The second will be implemented beginning January 1, 2017. It applies to foreign nationals who must obtain an official work permit for work in fields such as agriculture and tourism. According to Szyfter, the procedure will be simplified in that employers will be able to select a permit that is best for each prospective employee, as well as have more say in the length of the permit. It is expected that this program will be especially beneficial to workers who have immigrated to Poland from the former Eastern Bloc countries. “I think that the second phase, especially, is the most important for employers, in that they will be able to eliminate the declaration procedure, leading to faster employment for people from Moldova, Ukraine and Russia,” said Szyfter.