In Poland there is generally no official policy implemented with regard to the nationals of particular countries of origin because every application is examined individually. However, in 2020 the most dynamic trend was that of Belarussian nationals, due to political situation in the country. The number of Belarussian applicants increased from 37 applicants in 2019 to 407 applicants in 2020. The Government introduced many policies enabling the Belarussians entering Poland as migrants – such as visa facilitations and facilitations in obtaining residence permit. According to the Office for Foreigners, Belarusians constitute the second-largest group of foreigners in Poland, with around 28,000 of them currently holding residence permits as of 2020.
As of 31 December 2020, no returns are carried out to the following countries: Syria, Eritrea, and Venezuela.[1] According to the Border Guard, this list is updated every quarter based on the Eurostat information on international protection and humanitarian protection rate. When the protection rate is higher than 75%, returns are withheld to those countries.[2]
[1] Information provided by the Border Guard, 5 February 2021.
[2] Information provided by the Border Guard to Nomada NGO, 14 September 2020.