Фото: udsc.gov.pl
Poland is working on extending the validity of the Polish travel document for foreigners to three years. This was stated by the head of Poland’s Office for Foreigners at a meeting with representatives of the Belarusian democratic forces on March 23. The meeting was attended by Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet Pavel Latushka, Head of the Legal Aid Department of the Belarusian Solidarity Center Volha Dabravolskaya, and legal adviser to the National Anti-Crisis Management Mikhail Kirylyuk.
“The head reported that work is still ongoing on extending the validity period of the Polish travel document — it is planned to increase it to three years. The exact timeline is not yet known, but the very fact of continued movement in this direction is already a positive signal,” Dabravolskaya wrote following the meeting.
A representative of the Office for Foreigners also explained in which cases foreigners who have applied for international protection have the right to work and whether they can leave Poland.
Travel during the international protection procedure is possible if a foreigner has a valid residence permit and a travel document (passport or Polish travel document). In such cases, short-term trips should not be grounds for closing the international protection case.
It is possible to work while awaiting a decision on international protection if the case has been under consideration for more than six months. In this case, the foreigner has the right to apply for a work permit. This also applies to individuals subject to a transfer decision under the Dublin Regulation if it has been appealed, as well as to those whose decisions by both instances have been overturned by an administrative court.
“Important: all of the above is an oral interpretation. It is not a source of law and does not have binding legal force. Therefore, this information should be treated with caution, and in each specific case it is better to consult a lawyer,” Dabravolskaya emphasized.