Poland’s Border Guard announced on 23 September that officers from the Warmia-Mazury regional unit escorted two foreign nationals out of the country – a Ukrainian citizen handed over at the Medyka land crossing and a Moldovan citizen put on a flight from Olsztyn-Mazury Airport. The Ukrainian individual had accumulated multiple theft convictions and was found carrying narcotics at the time of arrest, while the Moldovan had exceeded his authorised stay after entering visa-free for seasonal work. Both men were held at the guarded detention facility in Kętrzyn pending administrative removal orders signed by the local voivode. Their expulsion reflects Warsaw’s stricter stance on public-order offences and overstays, which has intensified since the Entry/Exit System (EES) began logging biometric data at all external Schengen borders earlier this year. Under changes to the Act on Foreigners, anyone deported for serious crimes now faces an automatic five-year re-entry ban covering the entire Schengen area. For employers, the case underscores the importance of robust due-diligence when hiring third-country nationals through staffing agencies. Authorities are increasingly checking criminal-record extracts and flagging mismatches between declared purpose of stay and actual activity. Mobility managers should verify that assignees’ residence permits match contractual duties and ensure overstays are avoided, as fines for facilitating illegal work can reach PLN 30,000 per worker. Immigration attorneys note that the Moldovan national could have regularised his status via the new online Case-Handling Module (MOS V2) had he applied before his 90-day limit expired. The Border Guard continues to encourage self-reporting; foreigners who voluntarily depart within the grace period may face shorter bans and avoid detention.
