Poland Business Harbour: one year after the new regulations

In December 2020, due to the political situation in Belarus, Poland adopted new regulations on the employment of foreigners who are citizens of that country (we wrote about it here and here). In July this year, the program has been extended to citizens of Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova. There is no doubt that the assumptions of Poland Business Harbour (PBH) make it significantly easier for IT specialists to settle down and work in Poland.

What conditions must be fulfilled?

A specialist from one of the above countries interested in coming to Poland must have:

• proof of interest in employment from one of the Polish companies enrolled in the PBH program (citizens of Belarus are exempt from this requirement),
• technical education in the field of information technology or
• at least one year of experience in the IT industry.

What is the procedure like?

A foreigner meeting the above requirements must report to the Polish consulate and submit an application for a PBH visa. This application is treated as a priority by the officials. As a result, within a few weeks, based on the obtained visa, the IT specialist can come to Poland and take up employment here. What is extremely important: the specialist can perform the profession both based on an employment contract as well as within the B2B relationship. The latter is not normally available to foreigners, as they cannot run a sole proprietorship. Setting up a company, on the other hand, is expensive and not the preferred solution for freelancers who want to work with Polish entities quickly).

Unlike the usual procedure, obtaining a PBH visa does not require a work permit. In addition, it is not mandatory to have a residence and work permit. What is more, a work permit in the form of a regular permit or the so-called Blue Card may be obtained by a foreigner already after they arrive in Poland. Then they can apply for it during the one-year validity period of the PBH visa, working on its basis during that time. The procedure to obtain a PBH is short and uncomplicated. It differs considerably from the residence proceedings that last for months, are burdensome, and burden the foreigners with the uncertainty of their life situation. PBH, with shortened time and less complicated rules, makes arrival in Poland more attractive for foreign employees.

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