The Polish Sejm has passed a bill amending the Law on Foreigners. The relevant document was recently signed by President Andrzej Duda. Here's what will change for Ukrainians in Poland

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On Wednesday, March 22, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a bill amending the Law on Foreigners. According to the new document, all foreigners, including Ukrainians, will face changes.  Read on to find out what will change for Ukrainians in Poland in 2023.

Adding children to the mObywatel app

The bill previously passed by the Polish Sejm allows adding children to the profile of the mObywatel application. This means that parents can enter the data of their minor children who are staying in Poland under temporary protection with them.

Previously, only adults could create a document in the app, and information about children could not be added.

The Border Guard Commandant authorizes the stay of foreigners

Before the amendments were adopted, the decision on the stay of foreigners in Poland was made by the Head of the Department for Foreigners. From now on, this will be done by the Commandant of the Border Guard, who will decide on:

• issuance and replacement of residence permits for humanitarian reasons;

• legal residence permits;

• deportation of foreigners.

The term of the ban on entry to Schengen countries has been extended

The newly adopted law has increased the period of the ban to 10 years. It can be imposed on persons who threaten state and public security, order and interests of Poland or affect defense issues.

It should be added that previously the maximum period for a ban on entering Poland was five years.

Reduction of the period for urgent departure from Poland

From now on, a foreigner who has been ordered to leave the territory of Poland immediately must leave the country within 8 days of receiving the decision. Previously, the period was longer - from 15 to 30 days.

Appeals against decisions must be filed within a shorter period of time

The law provides 7 days to appeal against decisions on issuing or replacing a residence permit, deportation or other issues.

Please note! A foreigner may be deported within the established time limit even if he or she has managed to file an application with the court. Previously, a person could be deported only after a court decision.

We would like to remind you that recently there have been massive cases in Poland when refugees lose their UKR status and the privileges it provides by leaving the country for less than 30 days. We will explain why this happens and how to avoid it in our article.