In a joint dawn operation on 1 October 2026, officers from the Polish Border Guard (SG) and the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) arrested 11 suspects in Mazovia province accused of running a sophisticated scheme that procured Polish residence cards for foreign clients. Six of those detained are alleged ringleaders who, investigators say, charged around €8 500 per permit, using shell companies to fabricate employment contracts that satisfied immigration rules. According to the SG’s preliminary estimate, the group assisted more than 350 nationals from Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and other former Soviet republics, laundering some 20 million złoty through bogus consulting firms and real-estate purchases. Offices at a private university in Warsaw were raided, and officers seized hundreds of blank application forms, rubber stamps and encrypted mobile phones. The arrests follow a six-month surveillance probe triggered by an unusual spike in identical employment letters submitted to the Masovian Voivode’s Office. Prosecutors in Katowice have charged the suspects with participation in an organised criminal group, document fraud, facilitating illegal stay and money-laundering; the court is considering pre-trial detention for six defendants. For employers, the case is a reminder that due-diligence on third-party immigration vendors is critical. HR teams sponsoring non-EU nationals should verify that any external agents are duly registered and that employment contracts reflect genuine vacancies. Authorities are expected to audit previously issued permits linked to companies named in the indictment, which could expose unaware assignees to revocation proceedings.
Source: Polish Border Guard
