From June 1, 2025, Poland has implemented significant changes to its migration legislation that will affect thousands of foreign students and workers. These innovations are aimed at combating illegal migration and abuse of the educational visa system.
New requirements for foreign students
The most radical changes concern the educational sphere. Now every foreign student planning to study at Polish universities must demonstrate language proficiency at level B2 or higher. This requirement applies to both Polish and English languages, depending on the study program.
Universities have received additional obligations – they must immediately notify consular offices about students who have not started their studies or stopped attending classes without valid reasons. This control system will help quickly identify violators of the migration regime.
Fighting “fictitious students”
The main goal of the new restrictions is to eliminate the phenomenon of “fictitious students” – people who are formally enrolled in educational institutions but actually come to Poland exclusively for employment purposes. This phenomenon has gained significant scale in recent years, especially among citizens of Asian and African countries.
According to Polish experts, approximately 30% of foreign students used educational visas as a means of legal entry to the country with subsequent employment in the shadow economy sector.
Labor market changes
Labor legislation has also undergone substantial changes. Foreigners lose the right to obtain work permits if they:
- Already have a valid visa or residence permit in another European Union country
- Are staying in Poland on a transit visa
- Came to participate in cultural or sports events
- Have a visa exclusively for studies without employment rights
These restrictions are aimed at preventing “visa shopping” – the practice where foreigners try to obtain work permits in several EU countries simultaneously.
Impact on Ukrainian citizens
It should be noted that the new rules will affect Ukrainian citizens to a lesser extent, as they have special status in Poland due to Russian military aggression. However, Ukrainian students planning to study in Polish or English will also need to confirm sufficient language proficiency.
Reaction from educational institutions
Polish universities have already begun adapting to the new requirements. Many educational institutions have introduced additional language courses and testing for applicants from abroad. Some universities express concern about a possible decrease in the number of foreign students, which could negatively impact their budgets.