A late-night Money.pl article on 19 May 2026 revealed that EU interior ministers are informally discussing whether men of military age fleeing Ukraine should continue to enjoy automatic temporary protection. Quoting EU special envoy Ylva Johansson, the report says ‘limited but targeted’ restrictions are on the table, including a possible bar on asylum for Ukrainians who left the country despite Kyiv’s mobilisation order. Poland currently hosts about 1.3 million Ukrainian nationals under the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD); roughly one-third are men aged 18-60. According to the Polish Ministry of Family and Social Policy, 260,000 of them hold active employment contracts, many in manufacturing, logistics and IT outsourcing. Should Brussels narrow eligibility, companies could see work permits and PESEL-UKR numbers withdrawn for hundreds of employees. Warsaw has not taken an official position, but officials told PAP that any EU-level change would require unanimous Council approval and would likely include humanitarian exceptions. Still, immigration lawyers advise employers to audit their Ukrainian workforce, flagging those whose residence status relies solely on TPD.
![EU debates curbing asylum rights for draft-age Ukrainian men—Polish firms urged to plan for status changes]()
At this juncture, VisaHQ can be an invaluable partner: through its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) the service provides up-to-date guidance on switching from TPD to national work permits, generates customised document checklists, and even arranges courier collection, allowing HR teams to keep key Ukrainian employees compliant with minimal disruption.
Contingency plans include switching eligible workers to Polish national work-plus-residence permits (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy i pracę) via the MOS portal—an online process that now requires a qualified electronic signature from the sponsoring company. If enacted, the reform could also affect cross-border commuters. Thousands of Ukrainian truck drivers operate under Polish transport licences while enjoying TPD status; losing that status could force them to obtain standard C-type work visas, adding administrative friction to regional supply chains. HR service providers recommend setting aside three to four months of lead-time for alternative permits, especially in Mazowieckie and Lubelskie voivodeships where appointment backlogs exceed 60 days. For now, no timeline has been agreed, but insiders tell Money.pl that the item will surface at the 26–27 June Justice and Home Affairs Council. Companies with large Ukrainian talent pools should monitor that meeting and prepare communication strategies to reassure affected staff.
At this juncture, VisaHQ can be an invaluable partner: through its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) the service provides up-to-date guidance on switching from TPD to national work permits, generates customised document checklists, and even arranges courier collection, allowing HR teams to keep key Ukrainian employees compliant with minimal disruption.
Contingency plans include switching eligible workers to Polish national work-plus-residence permits (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy i pracę) via the MOS portal—an online process that now requires a qualified electronic signature from the sponsoring company. If enacted, the reform could also affect cross-border commuters. Thousands of Ukrainian truck drivers operate under Polish transport licences while enjoying TPD status; losing that status could force them to obtain standard C-type work visas, adding administrative friction to regional supply chains. HR service providers recommend setting aside three to four months of lead-time for alternative permits, especially in Mazowieckie and Lubelskie voivodeships where appointment backlogs exceed 60 days. For now, no timeline has been agreed, but insiders tell Money.pl that the item will surface at the 26–27 June Justice and Home Affairs Council. Companies with large Ukrainian talent pools should monitor that meeting and prepare communication strategies to reassure affected staff.
