MRPiT is considering introducing one work permit for foreigners

The Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology (MRPiT) is considering simplifying procedures and introducing one, e.g. one year work permit for foreigners, issued by employment services, informed Ewa Flaszyńska, director of the labor market department at MRPiT. They hope that the draft of the new law will be subject to consultations in June, and it will enter into force in 2022.

Currently - under the provisions of the Act on employment promotion and labor market institutions - work permits are issued by the voivode for a period of generally 3 years, and declarations on entrusting work for a period not longer than 6 months within 12 months are submitted to poviats labor offices. They concern citizens of six countries: Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

"The basic change that we want to introduce is to change the law on employment promotion and labor market institutions. We would like to change this law in such a way as to exclude the provisions on employment of foreigners from this law and write a separate law on the employment of foreigners and a separate law, which we called the Employment Support Act, which will apply to the broadly understood labor market," said Flaszyńska during the conference "New Deal - Opportunities and Threats for Polish Entrepreneurs".

The provisions of the Employment Support Act would transform poviat labor offices into employment support centers, more open to employers, unemployed and professionally inactive people.

"Of course, all this is at the level of the debate at the ministerial level, but we would like to transfer everything related to work to the level of poviat labor offices, and in the future - employment support centers. are dealt with by voivodeship offices "- stressed Flaczyńska.

The ministry also wants a single work permit.

"I don't know if we will succeed, but perhaps we would combine work permits with declarations. I'm talking about the document issue. And we could then extend this time from six months - here's the discussion - to 12 months, for example, and maybe even longer. This discussion will still take place "- she noted.

It is also considered abolishing for citizens of six countries - who can currently start work on the basis of the employer's declaration - the labor market test, i.e. the procedure of checking at the labor office whether there is a Polish employee for a given place of work reported by the employer. Flaczyńska emphasizes, however, that the ministry wants to maintain the possibility of restoring "perhaps a regional labor market test" in the event of a sudden increase in unemployment.

She stressed that these solutions are still under discussion. "We also confront our ideas with the expectations of employers, with the scientific community, we talk to employees of employment offices," she added.

Flaczyńska made a reservation that the standardization of work permits would not include seasonal work permits, as this is governed by separate EU regulations.

MRPiT also wants to simplify and digitize procedures related to the labor market. Such projects were included in the National Reconstruction Plan (KPO).

Flaszyńska hopes that the draft of changes will be ready in June and then it can be subject to consultations. MRPiT would like the regulations to enter into force next year, with an appropriate vacatio legis for the construction of IT systems to support the labor market.

Source: ISBnews and MRPIT