Headline: Poland’s Foreign Residents Face Significant Delays in Legalizing Stay

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Headline: Poland's Foreign Residents Face Significant Delays in Legalizing Stay

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Poland is experiencing substantial delays in the processing of residency permits for foreign nationals, with procedures that should ideally take 60 days often extending to several years. This situation affects a significant number of individuals, as an experimental study by Statistics Poland (GUS) indicated that around 2.3 million foreign nationals were staying in Poland at the end of 2025, making up nearly 6% of the country’s population of 38.8 million. The number of foreign workers in Poland reached 1.14 million by the end of 2025, a 7.2% increase from the previous year.

The primary reason for these protracted delays is an overwhelming increase in applications, largely attributed to the influx of individuals, particularly from Ukraine, following the full-scale invasion in 2022. In response to this unprecedented workload, the Polish government has repeatedly suspended statutory deadlines for processing various types of residence permits, including temporary, permanent, and long-term EU resident permits. The latest extension, signed into law on February 19, 2026, prolongs this suspension until March 4, 2027.

While the suspension means that offices are not formally missing deadlines, applications continue to be accepted and reviewed. However, the practical consequences for applicants include lengthy waiting periods, with work-based applications in major cities like Warsaw and Krakow commonly taking 8-14 months in 2026, though some smaller regions see decisions in 3-5 months. Despite the delays, a stamp in a foreigner’s passport confirms their legal stay during the processing period, allowing them to work and, generally, travel within the Schengen zone.

The growing reliance on foreign labor is evident, with immigrants constituting almost 7% of all workers in Poland by the end of 2025. Ukrainians represent the largest group, accounting for over two-thirds (67.6%) of foreign workers. Poland’s economy has increasingly depended on migrant labor to address shortages in sectors such as agriculture, food production, and manufacturing. The Polish Economic Institute projected in 2024 that Poland could face a deficit of 2.1 million workers by 2035. However, navigating the complex regulatory landscape for foreign workers remains a challenge, with companies risking hiring delays and compliance violations due to bureaucratic processes.

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