In a press briefing covered by regional portal WM.pl on 24 February 2026, the Silesian Unit of the Polish Border Guard revealed that since 1 January it has issued 400 decisions obliging foreigners to leave the country, including 33 forced deportations. Offences ranged from drink-driving and petty theft to overstaying and fraud using the BLIK mobile-payment system.
The agency also intensified spot checks in border voivodships: Podkarpackie officers carried out nearly 600 inspections of residence documents in February alone. While Ukrainians and Belarusians still top the statistics, officers noted a rise in overstays by Georgian and Vietnamese nationals employed through staffing agencies.
Companies found to have illegally hired or housed irregular migrants face administrative fines of up to PLN 30 000 per case.
![Polish Border Guard issues 400 removal decisions in two months amid stricter enforcement]()
For employers and foreign nationals who need help navigating Poland’s fast-evolving immigration rules, VisaHQ offers step-by-step guidance and document-processing services for work visas, residence permits and extensions. Their portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) lets HR managers track application status in one dashboard, reducing the risk of costly compliance slips.
Immigration lawyers report an uptick in audits targeting small logistics firms that recruit van drivers on short-stay visas. The Border Guard emphasised that it will now routinely request a five- to ten-year entry ban for repeat offenders.
HR teams should double-check the validity of employees’ residence cards and ensure that departures for permit-renewal trips are properly recorded in HR systems. Workers awaiting decisions on extension applications can continue employment under the ‘pending status’ rules, but must carry application receipts – a requirement often overlooked.
Although the numbers are modest compared with 2023, the messaging signals a policy of visible enforcement ahead of the summer peak, when Poland expects larger inflows of seasonal workers in agriculture and hospitality.
The agency also intensified spot checks in border voivodships: Podkarpackie officers carried out nearly 600 inspections of residence documents in February alone. While Ukrainians and Belarusians still top the statistics, officers noted a rise in overstays by Georgian and Vietnamese nationals employed through staffing agencies.
Companies found to have illegally hired or housed irregular migrants face administrative fines of up to PLN 30 000 per case.
For employers and foreign nationals who need help navigating Poland’s fast-evolving immigration rules, VisaHQ offers step-by-step guidance and document-processing services for work visas, residence permits and extensions. Their portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) lets HR managers track application status in one dashboard, reducing the risk of costly compliance slips.
Immigration lawyers report an uptick in audits targeting small logistics firms that recruit van drivers on short-stay visas. The Border Guard emphasised that it will now routinely request a five- to ten-year entry ban for repeat offenders.
HR teams should double-check the validity of employees’ residence cards and ensure that departures for permit-renewal trips are properly recorded in HR systems. Workers awaiting decisions on extension applications can continue employment under the ‘pending status’ rules, but must carry application receipts – a requirement often overlooked.
Although the numbers are modest compared with 2023, the messaging signals a policy of visible enforcement ahead of the summer peak, when Poland expects larger inflows of seasonal workers in agriculture and hospitality.
