In conjunction with a visa scandal, the Polish government has revealed a notable decrease in the number of work permits granted to foreign nationals since the summer. Poland’s consulates were heavily criticized over the summer of the previous year after it was alleged that they had given hundreds of thousands of temporary visas to citizens of third countries in return for bribery.

In the wake of the controversy, the government took action, firing Piotr Wawrzyk, the former deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and tightened the guidelines for granting work visas.

Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that from 15,100 in the first half of 2023 to 6,500 in the second, fewer work permits were issued to citizens of third countries.

The country’s consulates issued almost 4,800 work visas in the third quarter of 2023, according to Dziennik Gazeta Prawna. Approximately 1,600 work visas were issued to foreign nationals in the fourth quarter of the year.

Generally, the Poland Business Harbor Program is used to grant work visas for Poles. This program aims to draw highly educated workers—especially IT specialists—to Poland. Despite this main objective, analysts highlight several flaws in the program and argue that, rather than being a destination for foreigners seeking employment in Poland, it has evolved into a means of allowing them to enter other Schengen Member States.

Experts point out that a sizable number of foreign nationals are able to enter the nation since work visas are not only granted to IT specialists but also to their families. Just 1,243 foreigners entered Poland through the Poland Business Harbor Program in the first half of 2023, according to data from the Polish Border Guard. Only 1,185 foreigners entered the nation for work throughout the next six months. Considering that since the program’s start, almost 100,000 work visas have been granted, this has authorities concerned.