The number of people granted a Polish Schengen visa in the first six months of 2024 fell by 31 percent compared to the same period last year following the tightening of visa regulations.
According to Undersecretary of State in the Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Maciej Duszczyk, the country issued only 203,810 Schengen visas to foreigners from January to the end of June 2024, Schengen.News reports.
This is a significant decrease compared to the first half of 2023, when Poland issued a total of 295,892 Schengen visas.
The 31% decrease was recorded for all visa categories, but the decrease is even more pronounced when looking only at the national visa issuance rate.
The number of national Polish Schengen visas issued in the first half of 2024 decreased by 34 percent compared to the same period in 2023 – from 239,947 to 158,312.
Poland began reducing the number of visas issued to foreigners earlier this year in an attempt to “erase” the visa scandal that came to light last year and attracted widespread attention in the country.
Earlier this year, a Polish consul said that Polish embassies abroad issue very few work visas. The consul revealed that they only issue visas to IT and other professionals who bring high revenues to the country and do not abuse the system.
Poland has tightened the rules for student visas
In addition to tightening work visa regulations, Poland is also applying stricter rules to international students applying for student visas.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced earlier this week that the country would no longer issue visas to foreign students who do not have a high school diploma.
The decision to introduce stricter rules for foreign students came after it became known that universities in Poland were accepting students from third countries without properly checking whether they were eligible to enroll.
In addition, the decision is also related to the fact that a large number of students were identified who entered Poland to study and subsequently used their visas to work in the Schengen area.
Recent inspection found that Poland issued visas without adequate supervision
A recent inspection by Poland’s Supreme Audit Office found that the country had issued Schengen visas without adequate oversight in the past.
The audit included a 360-page investigation and concluded that the findings were serious.
The Supreme Audit Office did not provide further details on the matter, but announced that a comprehensive conference would be held shortly to inform the public of any irregularities.
