The Silesian Division of Poland’s Border Guard (ŚlOSG) reported on 27 July that officers detained twenty-eight foreign nationals during a coordinated weekend operation across Katowice-Pyrzowice Airport, Częstochowa and several inland checkpoints. Most of those held—15 Colombians, three Moldovans, two Indonesians, two Uzbeks and smaller numbers from Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Iraq and Venezuela—were found to be overstaying visas or working without authorisation. According to the communiqué, thirteen arrests occurred in Częstochowa alone after officers followed up on tip-offs from local labour inspectors. Several migrants had originally entered on tourist or cultural-event visas but took up jobs in construction and food delivery. Others had overstayed by up to nine months. Each detainee underwent biometric verification against the Schengen Information System before being issued a return decision; many also face a re-entry ban of up to three years. ŚlOSG has issued 1,501 return decisions since 1 January—an 18 % rise year-on-year—reflecting the government’s post-pandemic push to “re-establish full control of migration flows”. The weekend sweep was carried out alongside the National Labour Inspectorate and regional police as part of Operation Safe Silesia, a quarterly campaign that targets unregistered employment hubs near Poland’s industrial heartland. For employers, the incident is a reminder of heightened enforcement under Poland’s amended Act on Foreigners, portions of which came into force on 27 April. Civil fines for illegal employment now start at PLN 1,000 per worker and can reach PLN 30,000 for repeat violations, while directors risk criminal charges for organised facilitation. Legal advisers urge multinational companies using staffing agencies to audit work-permit chains and ensure that residence cards or Article 88 work declarations are valid. From a mobility perspective, the case underlines the importance of ongoing compliance support for short-term assignees. HR departments should track visa expiries proactively and advise staff on the new online Moduł Obsługi Spraw (MOS) portal, which allows extension applications without queuing. The Border Guard has hinted that similar operations will intensify ahead of the 15 August public holiday, traditionally a peak period for spot checks on seasonal workers.
