On 22 July 2026 the Carpathian Border Guard Unit carried out a series of spot-checks in the Lesser Poland (Małopolska) region that ended with the detention of three non-EU nationals who had violated Polish immigration laws. According to the official communiqué, officers working in Chrzanów discovered that a Colombian citizen had been employed without the work permit required for third-country nationals. The man was issued with a decision obliging him to leave Poland within 30 days and was barred from re-entering the Schengen Area for one year. Later the same day, inspectors in Jabłonka (near the Slovak border) stopped an Indonesian national who attempted to use a residence card that had been entered into EU databases as invalid by the Hungarian authorities. Because the Indonesian national was already subject to a return decision, the Zakopane Border Guard imposed a two-year Schengen re-entry ban. A third intervention in Szczucin involved a Filipino citizen who had ignored an earlier return order. He will now be deported under escort to the Polish border. Border Guard spokespeople stressed that workplace inspections and document checks are being intensified nationwide as Poland prepares for the entry-into-operation of the EU Entry/Exit System in autumn 2026. Employers were reminded that illegal hiring exposes them to fines of up to PLN 30,000 per worker and potential criminal liability. Companies employing highly mobile project staff should therefore verify work-permit requirements and keep copies of permits on file.
Source: Onet.pl
