Companies to improve rules for foreign workers
About 50 percent of foreigners who have received work permits in the Mazowsze region are working as directors, well-qualified workers, or foreign language teachers. Citizens of Ukraine, Vietnam and China are those most often employed. The spokeswoman of the Voivodship Labor Office in Warsaw, Wieslawa Lipinska, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that in 2007 the office issued about 6,500 work permits. The document is valid for 12 months.
Many employers believe the procedures are too complicated. Work visas are issued by the Polish Consul if a foreigner has a written promise of work from his future employer, if the work permit is not required, or if he will submit a work permit promise. This kind of visa is given for the period indicated in a written work promise or in a work permit or in a work permit promise, but for no longer than one year. Work visas are long-term, which allows a foreigner to enter and stay in the Polish Republic, permanently or for a few consecutive stays, which all together last no longer than one year during the visa’s validity.
Visa application forms are at the Polish Consulate or on its web site. When a foreigner has a visa, the regional government should issue a work permit. In some situations, work permit promises and work permits are issued regardless of the local labor market. The biggest demand for foreign job help is in such branches as trade, financial consultancy, real estate and gastronomy. In the Mazowsze region 47 percent of permissions were issued to Europeans, including 1,500 Ukrainians, 382 Belarusians, 267 Turks and 187 Russians. Among the Asian countries most often permitted in Poland are citizens of Vietnam, China, India and South Korea. Experts say that without foreigners the Polish economy willsuffer. If the government doesn’t simplify the law Poland might have serious trouble with organizing Euro 2012.
“We are losing the competition over the workers from abroad. The best ones choose different countries because we aren’t attractive employers for them,” said Teresa Walewska from the American Trade Organization. Vice Minister of Social Policy and Labor Krzysztof Kuberski has persuaded the Polish government to exert itself to make Poland attractive for foreigners. He admits that Poland isn’t attractive for foreigners because of low wages and ethnical and religious homogeneity. “We plan to change the law so that Polish employers will pay only 100 zloty instead of 1,000 for employing a foreigner. To extend the permit will cost only 50 zloty,” said Krzysztof Kuberski.