Ukrainians were allowed to legally work in Poland for three months longer

Every fifth Polish employer is ready to employ workers from Eastern Europe. From January 1, 2018, this can be done much faster and easier. In particular, workers from other countries can now legally work in Poland for longer, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.

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This is stated in the publication of the Polish edition of money.pl.

Polish employers who plan to hire employees from Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova or Russia from January 1 will have to pay to register their application. Despite the introduction of payment, experts suggest that the new rules, which in particular will increase the ability of Ukrainians to work in Poland by 50% (from 6 to 9 months), will be a significant improvement. Moreover, according to forecasts, this year the number of Ukrainian workers in Poland will exceed 2 million people.

According to a study by Personnel Service “Labor Immigration Barometer”, every fifth company in Poland is ready to employ workers from Eastern Europe. If we take into account only large enterprises, then this figure reaches 42%.

A new type of document, a seasonal work permit, will be used mainly in agriculture and tourism. From January 1, village elders will be responsible for issuing them in Poland. Thanks to this type of permit, Polish employers will be able to legally hire foreigners for seasonal work for 9 months during the year. Previously, this period did not exceed 6 months. The same document will allow the foreigner to perform work other than seasonal activities, but only for a period not exceeding 30 days during the validity period of the permit.

Heads will be able to issue permits to foreigners for seasonal work, provided that the pay is not lower than that offered to other workers in the same position, and also if there is confirmation that it has not been possible to employ anyone from the local labor market. According to Polish legislators, this rule should protect the local labor market, since a foreigner will be able to get a job only when a Pole does not apply for it.

In addition to the seasonal work permit, the employer will be able to use the existing application procedure to employ citizens of Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova or Russia. Then foreigners can legally work for 6 months within 1 year. The employer will have to pay 30 zlotys for registering the application.

Wardens will be able to refuse to register applications if there is a suspicion that the employer has submitted a fictitious application, or when he has been punished for violations of labor laws, does not pay taxes or does not pay social security contributions.

The publication also reminds that Polish companies that want to employ foreigners will finally be able to take advantage of one more opportunity - a work permit in Poland issued by the voivode for a period of no more than three years.

The new rules will allow for greater control over employer claims. First of all, companies will have to inform whether the vacancy has actually been filled by a foreigner who arrived in Poland under the simplified procedure. This additional administrative step will allow an accurate analysis of the number of foreigners who actually work in Poland.

During the first half of 2017, Ukrainians received 91436 work permits in Poland. Also, more than 128 Ukrainians as of July 000 had a valid residence permit in this country.