New Polish visa regulations following the cash-for-visa scandal.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced that the country was tightening its visa regulations following investigations into an alleged cash-for-visa scandal, which revealed irregularities amounting to millions of dollars. dollars under the previous administration.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said his country was toughening its visa rules after investigating an alleged cash-for-visa scandal. Investigations revealed irregularities totaling millions of dollars by the previous government. Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski updated the rules, making it more difficult to obtain a Polish visa allowing free movement in the EU’s Schengen zone. Visa applicants will be subject to more detailed checks to ensure that student visa applications, for example, are not simply a cover for entering the country. EU.

The Polish Supreme Audit Office has published its investigation report into allegations concerning the visa department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These findings support media reports from 2023 that Polish consulates in Asia and Africa were charging significant fees, amounting to thousands of euros, for each work visa issued. The investigation identified 46 separate irregularities in five key areas, highlighting problems such as a lack of transparency, susceptibility to corruption and insufficient oversight by Zbigniew Rau, who was foreign minister during this period. period.

Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said: “We can unfortunately confirm that, scandalously, illegal pressure was exerted on Polish consuls with the intention of increasing the number of visas issued to people who should not necessarily obtain them, including citizens of the Russian Federation. » Visa fees, previously among the lowest in Europe, have attracted migrants from Asia and Africa wanting to enter EU countries via Poland.

The cash-for-visa program was created under Poland’s previous right-wing Law and Justice government. The audit investigation found that between 2018 and early 2024, many visas were granted to applicants who paid significant fees to agencies affiliated with Polish consulates. According to the auditors, some individuals were billed up to 7,000 euros. A separate investigation by Poland’s anti-corruption office resulted in charges against former Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk and nine others.

An audit report indicates that Poland issued a total of 6.1 million visas between 2018 and 2023, including 1.2 million Schengen visas, out of 6.5 million applications received. Of these, approximately 3.4 million visas were allocated to Ukrainian nationals1.6 million to Belarusian nationals and more than 357,000 to Russian nationals, some of which were issued following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.