A new report from the Polish Supreme Audit Office (NIK) has revealed yet another scandal in Poland’s visa system.
According to the report, the former PiS government unlawfully granted a high number of Schengen visas to Russians under the Poland Business Harbor programme and other modes despite restrictions being in place after March 1, 2022, due to the war in Ukraine.
Findings show that by the end of 2023, a total of 1,838 Polish Schengen visas were issued to citizens of Russia under the programme, raising concerns about the irregularities that might have taken place and the country’s security.
In addition, the NIK report has disclosed that visas to Russians have also been issued in other modes, not only under the Business Habor programme.
As Gazeta Wyborcza explains, visas to Russian citizens were issued through the Visa Decision Center, the purpose of which was to speed up as well as facilitate the process of obtaining the documents.
Moreover, the report revealed that the document to Russians was granted even after the Ministry of Family and Social Policy banned the issuance of visas that permit entry into the Schengen Area for work purposes for this nationality.
Regardless of the ban, data show that 55 work visas were granted to Russians by the end of October 2023.
Polish Prime Minister & Intelligence Agency React
The Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, reacted immediately after the NIK report was released, saying that the worst suspicions have been confirmed.
Through an official post on his X social media account, Prime Minister Tusk said that the PiS government let a high number of foreigners into the country in return for bribes while the country’s soldiers were fighting to protect Poland.
While Polish soldiers and border guards were risking their health and lives to protect us from the wave of illegal migration organised by Putin and Lukashenko, the PiS government let in 366,000 people from Asia and Africa, also for bribes. The NIK report confirmed our worst suspicions.
Poland’s Intelligence Agency also commented on the matter, and the authority said that the scandal would have a negative impact on the country’s visa policy.
The Agency further revealed that irregularities included eased verification of documentation, among others.
The irregularities described included, among others, too cursory verification of documentation submitted by applicants, especially regarding student visas, including incomplete applications.
In addition to the above-mentioned, the authorities have requested that every case be investigated and measures be taken as soon as possible.
Poland had a visa scandal last year, too. In 2023, the country’s authorities were accused of granting work visas to nationals of foreign countries unlawfully and in exchange for money.
