flash news: #foreigners
By decision of the President of the Republic of Belarus, since September this year, Belarusians are unable to apply for and obtain passport documents while staying abroad. The latest regulation governing this matter completely deprives Belarusian citizens of the right to apply for a new passport, irrespective of the factual basis (loss of the document, destruction, expiry date), as well as any civil status documents.
Ukrainian citizens who were residing in Poland based on, among others, a national visa, and their stay’s legal validity ended before 24 February 2022 and was then subsequently extended under the COVID-19 Special Act to 31 July 2023, may continue to reside legally in Poland until 4 March 2024. This follows from the interpretation issued by the Head of the Office for Foreigners.
Employers who fail to comply with the obligation to file a notification on the start of work by a Ukrainian citizen can avoid sanctions in certain situations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, rules were brought in that allowed Ukrainians, Belarusians, Moldovans, Georgians and Armenians to apply for visas through the postal system or by proxy. This option has now been significantly restricted.
On 10 July 2023, the Ministry of Development and Technology announced that it is currently working on a regulation for a schedule of entrepreneurs conducting activities of strategic importance for the national economy. According to the explanatory memorandum, the schedule is to include entrepreneurs employing highly qualified workers from outside the EU, conducting significant outlay investments or creating considerable numbers of jobs.
Withdrawal of a draft regulation regarding countries in which foreigners may apply for visas issued by the minister for foreign affairs.