In a mounting crisis, Poland’s upper house of Parliament has brought to light a significant issue plaguing the nation: the cash-for-visas scandal. Tomasz Grodzki, the speaker of Poland, has called on the government to provide more transparency and information regarding its knowledge of the escalating scandal.

Media & Migrants were allegedly paying substantial amounts, up to $5,000, to expedite their work visa applications. This potentially corrupt system allowed individuals to bypass immigration procedures in exchange for money. It remains to be seen how the government will respond to these calls for more information and whether additional actions will be taken to address the situation and restore confidence in Poland’s immigration system.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland, Piotr Wawrzyk, was dismissed last week, likely related to the allegations of corruption. The Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted an investigation at the Foreign Ministry for suspicious evidence of corruption within the ministry.

Opposition MPs claimed that up to 250,000 visas for people from Asia and Africa were issued irregularly by outsourcing companies. This is a significant allegation, as it implies a large-scale misuse of the visa application process. The Ministry, which was facing an audit in relation to the scandal, said it would terminate all contracts for outsourcing companies handling visa applications since 2011.

The Leader of the opposition Civic Platform party, Donald Tusk, informed that people in Africa can easily obtain visas to travel to Poland through the Polish embassy. The migration policy governing the Law and Justice party. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki denied the allegations made by Donald Tusk and accused him of trying to create problems for the PiS government.

Zbigniew Ziobro, Justice Minister, downplayed the issue, and Mr. Grodzki was exaggerating the scale. The CBA was aware of the matter in July 2022 and has been working on it.

-Uttara Singh Chauhan