The State Department’s regulation on issuing visas to immigrants was a bureaucratic oversight. A responsible government reacts to such situations and has therefore withdrawn, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Piotr Wawrzyk stressed in the Sejm.
Regulations on visas for migrants
During the session of the Sejm, the deputies raised questions about the regulation established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the issuance of visas to immigrants. PO Secretary General Marcin Kierwiński asked whether the government monitors its actions and whether it reflects on the migration policy it pursues.
You hunt (with immigrants) and cheat Poland, and at the same time you open the labor market completely uncontrollably
– he said. He called the regulation, which he said was a “clerical error,” outrageous.
The said regulation was a bureaucratic mistake. The responsible government responds to such situations and the scheme has therefore been withdrawn
– replied the deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Piotr Wawrzyk.
Kierwiński attacks the government
In response, Kierwiński ruled that “this is not serious”. He accused Wawrzyk of “not being able to say anything” and “reciting some learned formulas”.
It is not the regulation that is a clerical error, it is people like you in Polish ministries who are clerical errors that harm Poland
– added.
What was in the document?
When asked about the arrangement on Tuesday, government spokesman Piotr Müller said that it is a technical arrangement that “changes the organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a bit on this point”. “I don’t expect it to be processed further, so as not to evoke emotions,” he said.
The draft regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the countries where foreigners can apply for a visa by the Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs were published on the government’s website in June.
The list annexed to the proposed regulation contains 21 countries. These are: Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Philippines, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Moldova, Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates Emirates.
The justification of the draft indicates that the purpose of introducing the possibility to submit visa applications directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to ensure an “efficient service” for foreigners. Originally, as we read in the justification of the project, this solution was applied in 2021 with regard to Belarus, “due to existing needs and expectations”.
For these additional countries, the justification for the sharing of visa processing powers by consuls and State Department officials, acting under the authority of the Secretary of State, is the growing number of visa applications that foreigners wish to make apply abroad, with limited human resources and organizational capabilities of foreign missions and the rising costs of handling these requests abroad
– the reasons for extending the list were stated in the justification of the project.
As indicated, the increase in the number of visa applications is related, among other things, “to increasing pressure from entities active in the Polish market waiting for foreigners, mainly to take up work.”
It will be possible to submit a visa application to the Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs if there are external service providers referred to in art. 43 of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code). This means that the issuance of the regulation will not lead to the automatic acceptance of visa applications in all countries on the day of entry into force, but will take place in phases, after consulates launch services under the so-called visa outsourcing, which is a precondition for the efficient operation of the proposed solution
– we also read in the justification.
so-called visa outsourcing is a practice whereby the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions cooperate with external service providers who mediate between foreigners applying for a visa and Polish diplomatic missions, e.g. by providing information on the conditions for issuing a visa, the necessary data from applicants, accept applications and charge appropriate fees.
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wkt/PAP
Source: wPolityce