Belarusians Residing in Poland on Humanitarian Grounds May Invite Relatives Through a Consul on the Basis of a Notarially Certified Invitation

"When speaking about the situation of Belarusian citizens residing on the territory of the Republic of Poland on the basis of humanitarian visas, temporary residence permits obtained for humanitarian reasons, or subsidiary protection, it should be clearly emphasized that close family members of these individuals (parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren) have the opportunity to apply for visas on the basis of notarially certified invitations," — as stated in the response of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the corresponding appeal by Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, delegate of the Coordination Council of Belarus Pavel Latushka.

Belarusian citizens residing on the territory of Poland on the basis of a residence permit for humanitarian reasons approached Pavel Latushka with a request to help resolve the issue of inviting relatives to Poland.

The problem was that, following an approach to the Polish consulate in Minsk with a request to consider the possibility of issuing visas for parents, a response was received stating that persons holding a temporary residence permit may invite their parents to Poland provided that an invitation is arranged for them through the Voivodeship Office. The Voivodeship Office, in turn, responded that an invitation may be issued by a foreigner who, immediately prior to issuing the invitation, had legally and continuously resided on the territory of the Republic of Poland for no less than 5 years, or holds a permanent residence permit, or a long-term EU resident permit.

In responding to Pavel Latushka's appeal on this matter, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also noted that "in correspondence with the consul for the purpose of scheduling a date for submitting a visa application, these individuals must provide full information about the basis on which they obtained the right to reside in Poland. A consul, having received only a scan of a residence card marked 'access to the labour market', cannot determine whether the card was obtained on the basis of a temporary residence and work permit, or for humanitarian reasons, which also grant the right to employment, even though the actual basis for applying for the right of residence is entirely different. In order for the consul to make the correct decision regarding the application of the preferential procedure to a specific individual, he must have complete information about the inviting party. Possible misunderstandings may result from the absence of a full picture of the matter."

"The United Transitional Cabinet expresses its gratitude to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for facilitating the obtaining of visas for relatives of Belarusian citizens, including those residing in Poland on the basis of international protection, humanitarian visas, and temporary residence permits obtained for humanitarian reasons. We highly value the cooperation with the Consular Department of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the consular establishments of Poland abroad," — noted Pavel Latushka.

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