In response to a recent “visa scandal,” Poland has introduced stricter regulations for student visas, aiming to curb widespread misuse of the system.
The move followed reports that large numbers of international students were being admitted to Polish universities without proper verification of their academic credentials.
The scandal, reported by Schengen News, highlighted that Poland had been issuing student visas to tens of thousands of third-country nationals without adequately checking their eligibility.
This lax oversight led to numerous cases where foreign nationals obtained student visas without the necessary academic qualifications and used them to work illegally within the Schengen Area.
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Radosław Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister announced the new regulations, stating that student visas will now only be issued to individuals with verified high school diplomas.
The stricter enforcement comes after it was found that some universities had not been consistently applying the existing requirement for foreign students to have their diplomas verified.
“The misuse of student visas has become a significant issue, with many visa holders failing to attend the universities that facilitated their entry.
We are implementing stricter regulations to ensure that only legitimate students are granted visas,” Sikorski said in a recent interview.
Sikorski emphasized that these new measures do not represent a change in the law but are instead a reinforcement of existing principles.
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The Minister reiterated that the updated regulations are intended to ensure that visa issuance aligns more closely with legal standards, thereby preserving the integrity of the country’s education system.
This crackdown on student visa misuse is part of an effort by the Polish government to address corruption within the visa system.
The scandal, which also included a cash-for-visas scheme involving the previous government, led to several arrests, including a former deputy foreign minister accused of facilitating work visas in exchange for bribes.
With these tightened regulations, the Polish government aimed to protect the integrity of its education system and prevent further exploitation of the visa process.
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By enforcing stricter entry requirements, Poland hopes to attract only genuine students and improve the transparency of its visa procedures.
