The Polish government has adopted a draft migration strategy that has been long awaited by foreigners and their employers. Those directly affected by these regulations have their own opinions on the matter. Approximately 57% of foreigners desiring to work in Poland express hope that authorities will simplify procedures related to the legalization of their stay and employment; these findings come from a study conducted by Grupa Progres. The greatest challenge for foreigners is navigating the intricate and time-consuming bureaucracy, often pushing them into the grey zone of employment. In the first half of 2024, the Border Guard detained 5,827 individuals residing in Poland illegally (compared to the 3,767 in the same period in 2023). As for 5,189 of these foreigners, illegal employment was identified alongside the illegal operation of a business.
There is no shortage of individuals eager to relocate and work in Poland. In the first half of 2024, the number of foreigners entering Poland amounted to 6,337,121, with 14,031,061 arriving throughout 2023.
According to the social insurance institution ZUS, as of the end of June 2024, there were 1,160,000 foreigners registered for social insurance benefits. This number grew by nearly 10,000 within a month (from May to June). Back in 2008, there were only 16,000 foreigners listed in the ZUS database.
A Progres Group survey reveals that many foreigners have long-term plans tied to their stay in Poland. About 42% of Asian and 32% of African respondents intend to work in Poland for 5 to 10 years. Meanwhile, 37% of Asians and 27% of African migrants expect their stay in Poland to last 10 to 20 years.
Even though Poland is appealing to them as a place to live and work, foreigners expect certain administrative simplifications, and their experiences with Polish offices are not always positive. The performance of Polish officials was rated an average of 3.75 out of 5 by foreign respondents who participated in the survey. Furthermore, 16% believe that offices in Poland are ill-prepared to serve foreigners – staff often lack foreign language skills and forms are difficult to access or understand, complicating bureaucratic matters. 11% of the foreigners have experienced unpleasant interactions with administrative service workers during the process of legalizing their stay and employment in Poland.
Integration aspects are also crucial in the migration policy of Poland concerning foreigners. Regrettably, such measures have been lacking, and there is often stereotyping of foreigners.
58% of Polish citizens believe that foreigners, due to their religion, can’t work in the same manner as Poles. Another myth centers around the education levels of immigrants – many believe that foreigners migrating to Poland lack education. However, a Progres Group analysis of job applicants for temporary work in Poland reveals that as many as 56% of Asians, 49% of individuals from African countries, and 34% from South American countries have higher education. In contrast, 38%, 45%, and 33% respectively completed secondary school.
An opportunity to suspend the acceptance of asylum applications, the necessity of integrating individuals arriving in Poland, a policy for the accelerated returns of Poles to their country, encouragement to study and work in Poland, and the rejection of those EU projects that would compromise the country’s security. These are the main premises for the migration policy, which the government started working on a year after parliamentary elections. These regulations, set to simplify arrivals to Poland while maintaining control over migrating individuals, have been awaited by employers and foreigners themselves for many years.
Magda Dąbrowska, Vice President of Grupa Progres, said, “Polish migration policy has so far been rather makeshift, chaotic, and did not meet market requirements. It did not respond to contemporary challenges and Polish labor market needs. At this stage, it is difficult to assess the planned changes. It is crucial, however, not to overlook several key issues. Their absence will result in no actual changes in Polish law”. She went on to say, “Above all, provisions and measures are needed to simplify procedures related to the legalization of stay and work, while also ensuring the process is safe and allows for maintaining control over who comes to our country and what their stay plans are. Now, to a large extent, employers have to bear this burden – they verify who the job applicant is, their labor potential, how long they intend to live and work in Poland, and whether they want to settle alone or with their families. Moreover, the completion of all official formalities takes months. It is also important to take a long-term perspective, as it clearly shows that the five countries subject to simplified employment procedures do not meet our labor market needs. Therefore, it is necessary to expand this list to include countries from Asia, Africa, or South America, whose human resources are so great that we can benefit from them because the candidates available there have the appropriate knowledge and experience and are keen to develop their career paths in Poland”.
As per this Vice-president’s opinion, even though Poland is attractive to foreigners as a place to live and work, they do expect certain administrative facilitations. The performance of Polish office workers was rated at an average of 3.75 out of 5. Breaking this down, 52% of respondents had no objections to the work of the Polish officials while 28% did not have a firm opinion. Unfortunately, 11% of foreigners reported unpleasant experiences with administrative service office workers during the legalization of their stay and work in Poland. The complexity of the process of legally employing foreigners and its time-consuming nature remain unchanged, providing an undue advantage for dishonest intermediaries who control large parts of the immigration process.
According to data from the Border Guard, nearly 18,000 cases of individuals were denied entry at the external border of the EU in 2023. The number of people stopped and detected by the Border Guard for illegal stay amounted to 10,342, a higher count than the previous years – 2022 (7,166), 2021 (6,812), or 2020 (9,823). Despite the majority of foreigners residing and being employed legally, there have been nearly 60,000 non-Polish nationals, from 2019 to 2023, taken in for working in the grey zone, undertaking work contrary to the law, and conducting business activities contrary to regulations. In 2023 alone, there were 9,964 and in the first half of 2024, the number of such cases was 5,189.
“In Polish migration policy, it is essential to also take into account the aspects of integrating foreigners who come to us for economic reasons.,” adds Dąbrowska, vice president of Grupa Progres. “A well-planned integration will not only facilitate their adaptation to the new environment but also contribute to better efficiency in their work and long-term contribution to the country’s economic development. I hope that governing bodies will listen more closely to what employers say, and social consultations will not just be a formality that leads to nothing,” concludes Dąbrowska.
58% of Poland’s population believes that foreigners – due to their religion – cannot work in the same manner as Poles. Nonetheless, many people believe that immigrants lack education. However, as many as 56% of Asians, 49% of individuals from African countries, and 34% of those from South American countries have higher education. These figures suggest a need for an assessment and revision of stereotypical beliefs regarding foreign workers in Poland.
Lastly, the proposed changes are numerous, especially those concerning procedural issues in issuing legalization documents, a large number of new obligations imposed on employers hiring foreigners, breach of which would be strictly punished, and instruments allowing manual regulation of the number of employed foreigners by individual bodies. It is crucial to consider the long-term effects before any such changes are implemented.
Source: https://managerplus.pl/nowa-polityka-migracyjna-w-polsce-od-biurokracji-do-integracji-pracodawcy-i-obcokrajowcy-maja-swoje-oczekiwania-91726
