Poland has taken a decisive step toward phasing out the extraordinary immigration measures it introduced for people fleeing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On 19 February 2026 President Karol Nawrocki signed legislation that formally repeals the 2022 “Special Act on Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine,” replacing its provisions with amendments to the general Law on Foreigners.
Under the Special Act, nearly 1.6 million Ukrainians who arrived after 24 February 2022 received an automatically renewable legal stay, labour-market access and broad social entitlements without the usual administrative requirements. The new law keeps most benefits in place until 4 March 2027 but introduces firmer rules designed to align the group’s status with that of other third-country nationals. Most importantly, beneficiaries will now lose their temporary-protection status if they remain outside Poland for more than 30 consecutive days—a point mobility managers must flag to assignees who travel frequently on business.
The legislation also creates a new multi-step digital verification process. Ukrainian citizens must confirm their continued residence in Poland through the government’s MOS e-platform between 1 May and 31 August 2026. Failure to complete the online check-in will render a PESEL UKR number—and therefore legal stay and work rights—invalid. Employers are obliged to archive proof of an employee’s successful verification and to notify labour inspectors if an assignee’s status lapses.
![Polish President Signs Bill Ending Special Act for Ukrainian Citizens]()
Companies that need hands-on assistance with switching Ukrainian assignees to standard Polish residence categories—or with any other Polish visa or work-permit application—can tap into VisaHQ’s dedicated services hub (https://www.visahq.com/poland/). The platform provides step-by-step document guidance, application pre-screening, and centralized tracking, allowing HR teams to handle multiple filings quickly and confidently.
For HR teams, the biggest operational change is the requirement to update employment contracts by 31 December 2026 so that they reference the employee’s ordinary work-permit or Blue-Card type rather than the Special Act. Because the standard labour-market test (informacja starosty) was abolished in 2025, most companies will be able to transition staff without major delays, but they must still file the appropriate notices in the praca.gov.pl portal.
Legal advisors note that the law brings long-awaited clarity on the sunset clause for temporary protection while encouraging Ukrainians who plan a long-term stay to switch to mainstream residence categories earlier than 2027. Businesses should therefore audit their Ukrainian workforces, schedule MOS verifications well in advance and budget extra time for residence-permit conversions in late 2026.
Under the Special Act, nearly 1.6 million Ukrainians who arrived after 24 February 2022 received an automatically renewable legal stay, labour-market access and broad social entitlements without the usual administrative requirements. The new law keeps most benefits in place until 4 March 2027 but introduces firmer rules designed to align the group’s status with that of other third-country nationals. Most importantly, beneficiaries will now lose their temporary-protection status if they remain outside Poland for more than 30 consecutive days—a point mobility managers must flag to assignees who travel frequently on business.
The legislation also creates a new multi-step digital verification process. Ukrainian citizens must confirm their continued residence in Poland through the government’s MOS e-platform between 1 May and 31 August 2026. Failure to complete the online check-in will render a PESEL UKR number—and therefore legal stay and work rights—invalid. Employers are obliged to archive proof of an employee’s successful verification and to notify labour inspectors if an assignee’s status lapses.
Companies that need hands-on assistance with switching Ukrainian assignees to standard Polish residence categories—or with any other Polish visa or work-permit application—can tap into VisaHQ’s dedicated services hub (https://www.visahq.com/poland/). The platform provides step-by-step document guidance, application pre-screening, and centralized tracking, allowing HR teams to handle multiple filings quickly and confidently.
For HR teams, the biggest operational change is the requirement to update employment contracts by 31 December 2026 so that they reference the employee’s ordinary work-permit or Blue-Card type rather than the Special Act. Because the standard labour-market test (informacja starosty) was abolished in 2025, most companies will be able to transition staff without major delays, but they must still file the appropriate notices in the praca.gov.pl portal.
Legal advisors note that the law brings long-awaited clarity on the sunset clause for temporary protection while encouraging Ukrainians who plan a long-term stay to switch to mainstream residence categories earlier than 2027. Businesses should therefore audit their Ukrainian workforces, schedule MOS verifications well in advance and budget extra time for residence-permit conversions in late 2026.
