An updated notice in the Polish official gazette, highlighted by the daily Rzeczpospolita on 26 July 2026, confirms that the Council of Ministers has once more extended a decree that blocks most asylum requests at the land border with Belarus. The restriction, first introduced in March 2025, now remains in force until at least 20 July 2026 and is the seventh consecutive extension. Under the rules, persons intercepted between border posts or arriving at official checkpoints cannot file for international protection unless they belong to specified vulnerable groups such as unaccompanied minors or pregnant women. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński argues the measure has been “highly effective”, noting that successful illegal entries from Belarus have fallen to virtually zero in 2026. Human-rights organisations, including the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, counter that the blanket suspension violates Article 56 of the Polish Constitution and the 1951 Geneva Convention. They warn that genuine refugees may be pushed toward more dangerous smuggling routes through Lithuania or Ukraine, exposing them to exploitation and trafficking. For employers and relocation managers, the continued suspension means that employees or candidates transiting Belarus en route to Poland cannot rely on lodging protection claims at the border. Companies are urged to arrange Schengen visas or humanitarian corridors in advance and to monitor future changes, as each 60-day renewal can be issued with only 24 hours’ notice. Legal analysts expect the policy to face further challenges in the administrative courts, but note that previous complaints have been dismissed on national-security grounds. Until a definitive ruling is issued, the suspension remains a key plank of Poland’s migration deterrence toolkit at its eastern border.
Source: Rzeczpospolita
