A front-page report in The Hindu on 26 September 2026 has reignited controversy over Poland’s decision to stop registering asylum applications at its Belarus frontier, a measure introduced in March 2025 and repeatedly extended. The newspaper notes that Warsaw is lobbying the EU to allow similar suspensions bloc-wide during so-called “instrumentalised” migration crises. Since the freeze took effect, only migrants who manage to request protection at Polish consulates or other borders are processed, cutting monthly filings by 83 %. Government officials insist the policy is legal under Article 78(3) TFEU emergency clauses and credit it with ending what they call a hybrid operation orchestrated by Minsk. Human-rights groups dispute this reading. The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights argues the measure violates the 1951 Refugee Convention’s non-refoulement principle and EU Charter guarantees. They warn that normalising the practice at EU level could erode the Common European Asylum System and shift pressure to neighbouring member states such as Lithuania and Latvia. Business associations are also uneasy. While the policy has eased congestion at Kuznica and Bobrowniki crossings, employers reliant on seasonal Belarusian labour fear retaliatory visa restrictions by Minsk. Mobility advisers therefore recommend contingency plans that route work-permit holders through Lithuanian airports or apply for Poland’s new “essential-skills” visa category launched in July.
