Poland’s lower house of parliament approved a controversial amendment to the Act on Granting Protection to Foreigners late on 25 May 2026, clearing the way for the Council of Ministers to suspend the acceptance of asylum claims for up to 60 days on specified stretches of the national frontier. 386 deputies voted in favour, 38 were opposed and none abstained, sending the draft to the Senate for expected fast-track debate this week. The legislation is framed as a response to what Warsaw describes as “hybrid pressure” orchestrated by Belarus, whereby third-country nationals are encouraged to cross into the European Union through Poland. Under the new rules the government can issue a regulation identifying a particular border segment where applications for international protection will not be processed for two months, renewable once with Sejm approval.
![Polish Sejm fast-tracks bill allowing 60-day suspension of asylum applications at selected borders]()
Amid such rapidly evolving migration and border controls, VisaHQ’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) provides companies and individual travellers with real-time visa updates, online application tools and expert advisory services to help them stay compliant and avoid disruption when planning journeys that may be affected by the new legislation.
Exemptions exist for “vulnerable groups” such as unaccompanied minors and pregnant women, but human-rights lawyers argue these carve-outs are too narrow and difficult to invoke in practice. Critics, including the Polish Ombudsman, the National Bar Council and several NGOs, say the measure violates Article 56(2) of the Constitution as well as EU and international refugee law. They warn that pushbacks could expose companies moving key staff across Poland’s eastern frontier to heightened liability risks and reputational damage. Business travel managers are advised to review contingency plans for assignees who may be caught by a sudden suspension, particularly on routes transiting Belarus or Ukraine. If enacted, the bill would also broaden grounds for withdrawing refugee status from individuals deemed a threat to national security or convicted of serious crimes. Employers making use of humanitarian or subsidiary-protection residence titles should therefore factor in a potential uptick in status-withdrawal cases when planning long-term assignments. Given the government’s majority, observers expect the Senate to sign off on the text with minimal amendments, allowing the President to promulgate the law before the summer recess. Corporations with cross-border operations should monitor the implementing regulation that will designate affected border zones and effective dates, as real-time compliance will depend on those details.
Amid such rapidly evolving migration and border controls, VisaHQ’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) provides companies and individual travellers with real-time visa updates, online application tools and expert advisory services to help them stay compliant and avoid disruption when planning journeys that may be affected by the new legislation.
Exemptions exist for “vulnerable groups” such as unaccompanied minors and pregnant women, but human-rights lawyers argue these carve-outs are too narrow and difficult to invoke in practice. Critics, including the Polish Ombudsman, the National Bar Council and several NGOs, say the measure violates Article 56(2) of the Constitution as well as EU and international refugee law. They warn that pushbacks could expose companies moving key staff across Poland’s eastern frontier to heightened liability risks and reputational damage. Business travel managers are advised to review contingency plans for assignees who may be caught by a sudden suspension, particularly on routes transiting Belarus or Ukraine. If enacted, the bill would also broaden grounds for withdrawing refugee status from individuals deemed a threat to national security or convicted of serious crimes. Employers making use of humanitarian or subsidiary-protection residence titles should therefore factor in a potential uptick in status-withdrawal cases when planning long-term assignments. Given the government’s majority, observers expect the Senate to sign off on the text with minimal amendments, allowing the President to promulgate the law before the summer recess. Corporations with cross-border operations should monitor the implementing regulation that will designate affected border zones and effective dates, as real-time compliance will depend on those details.
