The decision of the Polish government to tighten measures for international students has resulted in a drop in applications submitted for student visas and also an increase in rejection rates.
The news was confirmed by the Foreign Ministry, which also revealed that since the measure became effective, over one-third of applications were rejected. Another 8,200 were approved – mostly to Ukrainian and Belarusian students, Schengen.News reports.
The most affected nationalities by visa rejections are Pakistanis, Yemenis and Bangladeshis, as the Polish authorities granted almost four times fewer visas to international students this year.
Polish Private Universities Severely Impacted by New Measures
The finances of some Polish private universities have been seriously affected by the new measure, leading to a significant decrease in the number of students. For these universities that are primarily funded by the tuition fees of students, the damages are serious, especially for the Academy of Applied Sciences in Lublin – 72 per cent of which students were foreigners.
In 2024, Algerians were rejected the most for study visas, with every second application being negative. Bangladeshi follow second with 247 rejections, and Ethiopia (270).
The new measures include verification of international students, and those who do not present high school diplomas risk having their visa cancelled. The new laws followed reports of foreigners misusing their student visas for other purposes.
A student visa grants the right to work for one year, which led to numerous cases where individuals obtained visas and never attended the university that facilitated their entry.
Up to 50% of International Students Will Not Come to Poland, Recruiter Says
According to Krzysztof Szymański from the Marhaba Poland agency, who is a recruiter for foreign students to Polish universities, between 40 and 50 per cent of students will not come to Poland.
This will impact the universities and also make a bad reputation for Poland, as Szymański told rp.pl.
Unfortunately, the rules in the consulates were introduced at the wrong time, during the recruitment process at universities, without consulting them. This has a terrible impact on the reputation of our country.
He points out that the verification process should be finalised before the student comes to Poland, same as in Lithuania.
Prior to these measures, especially in 2019, Poland issued 33,300 student visas, with only 3,400 – which is 10.3 per cent of the total number, being rejected.