Amendments to the Act on foreigners

Policy Response DateJune 12, 2012 Country: Poland General Type: Equality/Integration Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-migrant/xenophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Policing - law enforcement, Employment - labour market, Integration - social cohesion

On 12 June, 2012 amendments to the Act on foreigners and the Act on employment promotion and labour market institutions entered into force, which resulted from the obligation of transposition of the UE regulations into the Polish legal system [1]. In majority, the changes concern the question of granting permissions for residence permit for a specified period for the purposes of highly qualified employment which are issued by way of a single administrative procedure covering both the residence permit in Poland and the work permit. They also concern the regulations of expulsion of foreigners who stay illegally in the European Union by stressing the significance of the third-country nationals' voluntary return to their countries. Moreover, the next amendment is being prepared and is going to enter into force in 2013. The purpose of the changes mentioned in the project is to introduce a number of facilitations in procedures for the foreigners working and studying in Poland as well as those who would like to legalize their stay. Nevertheless, the public consultations showed that a number of proposed solutions were criticized by non-governmental organizations working for the sake of foreigners [2].

Sources:

  1. Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców, 28.05.2012, Nowa ustawa o zmianie ustawy o cudzoziemcach oraz ustawy o promocji zatrudnienia i instytucjach rynku pracy (The amendments to the Act on foreigners and the Act on employment promotion and labour market institutions), http://www.udsc.gov.pl/NOWA,,USTAWA,O,ZMIANIE,USTAWY,O,CUDZOZIEMCACH,ORAZ,USTAWY,O,PROMOCJI,ZATRUDNIENIA,I,INSTYTUCJACH,RYNKU,PRACY,,2095.html, Accessed on 12.12.2012.
  2. Stowarzyszenie Interwencji Prawnej, 19.11.2012, Uwagi Stowarzyszenia Interwencji Prawnej do rządowego projektu ustawy o cudzoziemcach (The comments of the Association for Legal Intervention on the governmental project of the Act on foreigners), http://interwencjaprawna.pl/uwagi-stowarzyszenia-interwencji-prawnej-do-rzadowego-projektu-ustawy-o-cudzoziemcach/, Accessed on 12.12.2012.