How to get a work visa to Poland for foreigners?

Poland attracts immigrants from Ukraine, former CIS countries due to its geographical proximity, similarity of mentality and language, loyal immigration policy. Unskilled workers and high-level employees are easily employed here. To find a job in the country, you need to get a work visa.

National visa D, documents for obtaining

A national visa D is a permit to stay in the country for a period of more than 90 days, but less than one year. Depending on the purpose of visiting Poland, it is issued for one, two, multiple entries.

A visa can be obtained by foreigners who intend to study or work in Poland, as well as holders of the Pole's Card.

D visa holders are entitled to:

• stay on the territory of the state during the period specified in the permit document;
• move within the Schengen area and stay there for 90 days in each half year.

Applications are considered within 10-30 days from the date of submission. Before applying, it is worth finding an employer who will issue an invitation to work in Poland. If a visa is issued through intermediaries, the cost includes an insurance policy, filling out a questionnaire, and full support of the procedure. When self-filing, a visa fee is paid, the price of which varies, depending on the nationality of the applicant and the specific voivodeship.

For citizens of Russia, Georgia, Armenia, the fee is 80 €, for Ukrainians, Belarusians it is not charged.

It is also necessary to prepare a package of documents, which includes:

• a job offer from a Polish employer;
• A completed application form;
• insurance with a minimum coverage of 30 thousand euros;
• all valid passports;
• photo of the established size;
• receipt of payment of the consular fee;
• confirmation of solvency;
• national passport.

A typical invitation from an employer contains the name of the inviting company, employee details, purpose, duration of the visit, stamps, signatures, registration number. Documents are submitted to consulates, to visa centers.

All documents must be translated into Polish. It is unacceptable to submit papers with defective unreadable fragments to the consulate.

Categories of Polish visas for work

Depending on the length of stay and the nature of the work, there are the following types of national visa D:

• D05A, issued for a period of 6 months. Gives the right to perform all types of work, except for seasonal work. 180 days are counted from the date of issue of the document;
• D05B, for up to 9 months, to perform seasonal, overwhelmingly agricultural work;
• voivodship visa D06 valid for 360 days. If the contract is concluded for a longer period, the visa is reopened.

Some migrants, after successful employment, decide to stay in the country. For legal residence, you need a residence permit and Karta Pobytu.

Card of life

There are no differences between the status of a residence permit and a residence card. After obtaining a residence permit, a foreign citizen is issued a plastic card confirming the status. The card allows you not to leave the state every time the visa ends and not to open it again. You can stay in the country for up to 3 years, buy real estate, cars, invite relatives.

blue card

For qualified employees in the European Union, there is a long-term residence permit - the Blue Card. In Poland it is called Niebieska karta. The validity period is three years. To receive it, the following conditions must be met:

• the employee's salary is 150% of the average in Poland;
• higher education, proven experience in the specialty;
• lack of EU citizenship;
• the employer's interest in hiring an employee, the minimum contract period is one year;
• the applicant's specialty is on the list of demanded and qualified professions.

To apply for a blue card, you need to contact the Voivodeship Office. The procedure is similar to obtaining a residence card. Blue card holders have slightly more privileges than residence card holders. They have the right to free education of children, to a simplified procedure for family reunification, spouses - to obtain a temporary residence permit until the expiration of the blue card.

Can a work visa to Poland be denied?

Efforts to find an employer, collecting documents may be in vain due to the mistakes that applicants for a work visa make. A negative answer can be obtained if an incomplete package of documents is submitted, mistakes are made when filling out the questionnaire, or knowingly false information is given. Applicants who appear in the Schengen information system and, according to the authorities, pose a security threat, receive a refusal.

When applying for a D05B visa, it is important that the type of work matches the approved list of seasonal jobs.