A recent leak from Poland’s Supreme Audit Office (NIK) has unveiled significant irregularities in the visa issuance process that occurred under the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government. The report reveals that over 366,000 visas were granted to individuals from Asian and African nations, alongside a notable number issued to Russians following the invasion of Ukraine.
Findings of Political Pressure and System Failures
The NIK investigation, initiated in response to earlier corruption allegations, highlights the political pressure exerted on consuls to expedite visa approvals for select individuals. Compounding the issue, deficiencies in the IT systems have rendered it impossible to ascertain the legitimacy of many visa issuances.
Donald Tusk, the leader of the current government, expressed that the findings have “confirmed our worst suspicions.” In contrast, President Andrzej Duda, a PiS supporter, has called for a thorough investigation into whether the former visa policies facilitated illegal migration.
Kiedy polscy żołnierze i strażnicy graniczni narażali zdrowie i życie, chroniąc nas przed zorganizowaną przez Putina i Łukaszenkę falą nielegalnej migracji, rząd PiS wpuścił, także za łapówki, 366 tysięcy ludzi z Azji i Afryki. Raport NIK potwierdził nasze najgorsze podejrzenia.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) September 23, 2024
The NIK report, which spans 300 pages and was completed in July, has been made available to the public through Gazeta Wyborcza, a prominent Polish daily known for its critical stance towards PiS. The findings assert that the foreign ministry’s oversight of visa processes was “unlawful, inappropriate and unreliable,” leading to mismanagement of public resources and posing a significant threat to national security.
“Wyborcza” ujawnia. Wstrząsające ustalenia NIK na temat pisowskiej dyplomacji i afery wizowej. “Ten raport poraża” #Wyborcza @GazetaStoleczna https://t.co/Wrw9HN0o6t
— Gazeta Wyborcza.pl (@gazeta_wyborcza) September 23, 2024
The report identifies a “non-transparent and corruption-prone mechanism” that influenced consuls in their visa decisions. Four former foreign ministers from the PiS era—Witold Waszczykowski, Jacek Czaputowicz, Zbigniew Rau, and Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk—are specifically named as responsible for these irregularities.
Between 2018 and 2022, Poland issued approximately 6.5 million visas, surpassing both Germany and Spain during the same timeframe. Notably, 366,551 of these visas were granted to individuals from what Gazeta Wyborcza refers to as “Muslim and African countries,” stirring controversy and accusations of hypocrisy against the PiS, which had publicly opposed such immigration.
NIK’s findings indicate that consuls faced ongoing pressure to issue visas without clear guidelines regarding priority applicants. The auditors also noted that visas continued to be issued to Russians even after the onset of the Ukraine conflict, through a program known as Poland Business Harbour (PBH), aimed at attracting skilled professionals from neighboring countries.
Poland has suspended a programme introduced under the previous government to attract IT specialists from its eastern neighbours.
The scheme has faced criticism for issuing visas to Russians amid the war in Ukraine and for alleged abuses of the system https://t.co/UFCbgb9Ebz
— Notes from Poland(@notesfrompoland) January 29, 2024
Moreover, the report highlights IT failures that hinder verification of 17,000 student visas, as necessary data was not recorded in the system. Additionally, evidence emerged regarding the actions of former deputy foreign minister Piotr Wawrzyk, who has been implicated in corruption and was found to have forwarded lists of individuals for expedited visa processing.
Polish diplomats have told a commission investigating alleged corruption in the visa system under the former PiS government that the foreign ministry pressured them to issue visas.
Another witness reportedly admitted to involvement in such corruption https://t.co/lhzk36HLSv
— Notes from Poland
In light of these revelations, Tusk reiterated the gravity of the situation, stating that while Polish forces were safeguarding the nation against illegal migration orchestrated by external actors, the previous government facilitated the entry of over 366,000 individuals, potentially through corrupt practices.
Prezydent @AndrzejDuda : Jest pytanie, na ile polityka wizowa przyczyniła się do nielegalnej migracji https://t.co/wHLGFsFGX8
— Radio Maryja (@RadioMaryja) September 23, 2024
President Duda emphasized the need to clarify the extent of irregularities in the visa issuance process, suggesting that many visas were issued to fulfill the demands of Polish businesses facing labor shortages. He raised fundamental questions regarding the integrity of the visa policies and their potential role in fostering illegal migration.
Despite its initial anti-immigration stance, the PiS government oversaw an unprecedented influx of immigrants during its tenure, with Poland issuing more first residence permits to non-EU nationals than any other EU member state for seven consecutive years. In 2023 alone, Poland issued 643,000 such permits, surpassing Germany and Spain.
Main image credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Flickr (under CC BY-NC 2.0)
