According to information provided by the Polish Foreign Ministry, cooperation with all the external visa providers will be terminated. Polish visa applications submitted by external visa providers will not be accepted.
This decision is connected with reported irregularities that some applicants processed by external visa providers received a visa outside of the official process.
Changes in visa processing have been already introduced in China and India.
The below list represents countries where visas were processed by the external visa providers and the current way of visa processing:
- Belarus: external service provider
- China (including Hong Kong): diplomatic posts
- India: diplomatic posts
- Philippines: visas processed by the diplomatic post and external service provider
- Turkey: external service provider
Erickson Insights and Analysis
These changes may extend visa processing times and it may become more difficult to reserve slots for visits at Polish consulates. Employers who plan to employ foreign nationals may face difficulties in bringing new employees from abroad, and they should plan hiring processes in advance.
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.