VFS Global’s new appointment system for Polish visa centres in Belarus went live on 8 June but has already drawn criticism, according to a 11 June report by Nasha Niva. The platform replaces the notorious “slot-snatching” interface with a verified waiting list: applicants register, undergo mobile-camera identity checks and are promised e-mail notifications when dates open. Early users, however, encountered repeated “Session Expired” and “Too Many Attempts” errors. Some accounts were automatically blocked, and others could not select the Minsk centre, forcing applicants to choose regional offices in Gomel or Grodno. Social-media threads labelled the process a new “Belarusian folk pastime,” with users trading tips on VPNs and alternative browsers. For Polish employers the stakes are high. Despite streamlined labour-market tests, Belarusian nationals still require a national (D) visa to take up work in Poland if they do not hold a Karta Polaka. Delays in appointment scheduling can push onboarding back by months, affecting project timelines in IT outsourcing, fintech and manufacturing. Mobility teams should prepare contingency plans: consider remote onboarding from Belarus, explore EU-intra-company-transfer options or, where feasible, switch to the Polish Business Harbour visa processed in Warsaw. HR should also monitor VFS announcements; system stabilisation and extra quota releases are expected by late June.
Source: Nasha Niva (EN)
