In June, Poland Denied International Protection To 58% Of Belarusians

• 23.07.2026, 17:04

Previously, the failure rate was no more than 5%.

In June 2026, the Polish Office for Foreigners sharply increased the number of rejections of applications for international protection filed by Belarusians. Whereas previously 4% of applicants were rejected, last month that figure reached nearly 58%. What is the reason? “Radio Svaboda” heard firsthand accounts from Belarusians themselves and opinions from experts on legalization.

The Polish Office for Foreigners has published the latest statistical data on the legalization of Belarusians. From 2022 through July 1, 2026, 134,000 Belarusians received temporary residence permits. The majority—58.8%—were part of business relocation programs (primarily in the IT sector); 30.8% received permanent residence permits under the Pole’s Card program.

International protection was granted to 7.4% of Belarusians (9,850 people), while 0.9% (1,172 people) were granted refugee status. In total, from 2022 through July 2026, 14,741 applications from Belarusians for international protection were reviewed. Another 3,000 cases are currently under review.

However, in June 2026, the rejection rate among the total number of cases reviewed reached a record high of 57.8%. By comparison, in January–May 2026, it stood at just 4.4%; in 2025, it was 5.5%; and in 2024, it was 5.4%.

In June 2026, the relevant Polish authorities issued 21 decisions granting refugee status to Belarusians and 4 decisions granting subsidiary protection. This also applied to former political prisoners from the group who were pardoned as a result of Lukashenko’s negotiations with the Americans. Fifty-two negative decisions were issued, and the review of another 13 cases was suspended.
The situation began to deteriorate in May. While Belarusians were denied international protection in only 14 cases during the first four months of 2026, there were 17 such decisions in May and three times as many in June, according to experts on legalization. After analyzing the denials, they emphasize that officials are ignoring certain documents, disregarding specific evidence and testimony, and misapplying the law. However, at the appeal stage, it is often possible to submit additional evidence or explain in detail the circumstances that were previously ignored.

“I will not appeal the Office’s decision”

Andrei (name changed for security reasons) arrived in Poland in the fall of 2021 on a so-called PBH visa (Poland Business Harbor visas were issued primarily to IT specialists and their families). He worked for a foreign IT company, was fired, and his work permit expired. Friends advised him to apply for international protection, especially since Andrei had indeed participated in protests following the 2020 presidential election and had even been photographed holding a sign near the High-Tech Park in Minsk.

“Yes, I went to marches and pickets with my colleagues. The fact that I’m a fast runner saved me from being detained. During the interview, I didn’t make anything up on the application form; I simply stated that I had attended protests and donated money—actions for which many of my colleagues suffered, spending a day in detention, while two were sent to penal colonies. I waited a long time for my documents to be processed. It’s impossible to work legally, and you can’t get by on a 700-zloty allowance. I took on one-off projects and worked part-time as a loader. I recently got turned down. “There are a lot of pages, but the bottom line is that I’m not a leader or a political activist; in Belarus, the statute of limitations for participating in protests has expired, and I’m not facing any threats there… Something like that,” Andrei said, recounting his story.

He is categorically against filing an appeal. An immigration specialist tried to convince him, pointing out errors in his explanation of the situation and “weak points” in the Polish officials’ decision—to no avail.

“I won’t appeal the decision. I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to myself. I’ll look for other ways to legalize my status. I’m thinking about it. And you don’t need to convince me to file an appeal,” Andrei states categorically.

“Maybe I angered them with my complaints”

Elena (name changed for security reasons) arrived in Poland on a work visa in 2023. Her ex-husband had moved abroad earlier, and although their relationship didn’t work out, she hoped to obtain a residence permit through family reunification. She submitted her documents and waited.

“I was summoned to the Office for Foreigners, had my fingerprints taken, and submitted photos. Some time later, instead of an approval, I received a denial—allegedly because a document required to issue a residence permit for family reunification had been lost. And now the deadline has passed. But no one called or wrote to me. There was no letter or notification stating that I was missing a document so that I could bring it in.

My work visa was set to expire in November 2024. I contacted my lawyer, emailed her all the documents, and asked if I could file an appeal. The lawyer said no—all the deadlines had passed. I don’t understand why they took my fingerprints and photos… I mean, they had completed the final step before issuing the card. And I had no choice but to seek international protection. That was in November 2024,” Elena says, recounting her story.
She recalls all the hardships: problems with the bank, difficulties at work. Elena was issued a temporary document valid for six months, then another one. She was hired by a Polish private entrepreneur,
“I can’t do anything to improve my life or my child’s life. There are problems at work, too—I only have a temporary contract. I can’t go study and get a new degree. Not to mention the minor inconveniences: I can’t pay my phone bill myself—online banking is blocked because I don’t have valid documents. My life has come to a standstill. I filed one complaint—asking them to expedite the review of my case after a year and a half had passed since I submitted my documents—and then another one. Maybe I annoyed them with my complaints. And just the other day, I received a denial,” the woman says.

In her opinion, the rejection was based on a standard template: the situation in Belarus has normalized, she is neither an activist nor a leader, so she is not in any danger. However, Alena disagrees with these conclusions and is determined to file an appeal. She is currently in talks with a lawyer.
“It’s dangerous for me to go to Belarus: I attended all the marches—the women’s marches, the Sunday marches—and stood at ‘Komarovka’ with flowers. I posted messages and videos. My home was raided, I was taken in for questioning by the Investigative Committee, and the only reason I wasn’t detained was because I had a minor child. I realized I had to leave. Yes, I managed to get a work visa back then. Perhaps I’m partly to blame for not being able to explain my situation convincingly during the interrogation. Now I’m consulting with a lawyer on how to handle all this properly. What’s more, I have no other choice—my minor daughter received a residence permit thanks to her father, my ex-husband. “I won’t leave my child here,” says Elena.

“My modesty was my downfall”

Vadim (name changed for security reasons) was the administrator of a popular Telegram channel from fall 2020 through winter 2021. Problems arose—a search of the apartment he was renting from his parents. He had to leave on a humanitarian visa.

“I found a job in Poland as a designer; at first, everything was fine. My visa was about to expire, so I applied for a temporary residence permit. But then the company started laying off staff, and I was one of the unlucky ones. My friends advised me to apply for international protection.

At first, I didn’t even understand what that meant. And I was very modest in both my interview and my written application, stating that I ran a Telegram channel and that we simply provided objective, neutral news. First of all, I honestly didn’t consider myself a “hero” or a “revolutionary,” especially given that many people were actually in prison. When I was denied, I was in shock: I’m not a leader or an organizer, and I admit that I published neutral news. And international protection “doesn’t apply” to me—I’m not in any danger in Belarus.

I turned to a lawyer for advice, and she gently hinted that I was, as they say, “to blame myself,” and that my modesty had been my undoing. She promised to help. “Well, let’s fight this. I’ll appeal the denial,” the man says, recounting his story.

Irina Vorochkova, an expert on the legalization of Belarusians in Poland, recently published on her Facebook page a so-called “guide” from the Office for Foreigners titled “Belarus. Security Situation and Threats to the Civilian Population.”

The “guideline” was published on September 11, 2025, and states that Polish authorities consider Belarus a safe country, that the statute of limitations has expired on the so-called “protest charges,” and that Lukashenko has granted six rounds of pardons to political prisoners. Polish authorities began actively applying the new rules in May 2026.
According to an expert on legalization, this happened because, until March 2026, cases regarding international protection were effectively frozen and were hardly ever considered. And when the number of cases awaiting review reached a critical threshold of 3,000, they began to be reviewed more actively. And now decisions are being made on applications filed as far back as 2024.

“After reading a dozen denials of international protection to Belarusians, I’m in shock. I believe that Poland’s attitude toward Belarusians has changed. Forgive me for being blunt, but some of these denials are simply absurd. A single detention and interrogation is no longer enough. You have to be detained for 24 hours several times before they’ll grant protection. Or: ‘Yes, you’ve proven your participation in protests in Belarus and that you attended a couple of rallies in Poland,’ but ‘you’re not a public figure, you’re not the leader of an organization, and you’re not in any danger’. And almost every denial includes a reference to the “methodological guidelines” that I published. That’s why I started writing actively about this and sounding the alarm,” she explains.

According to her, Belarusians are sometimes accused of being themselves to blame for the fact that Polish authorities have taken a tougher stance toward their eastern neighbors. When humanitarian visas were being issued, Belarusians traveled back and forth and also abused visas to Poland for business trips. Irina Vorochkova doesn’t see it that way.
“I don’t think it’s their fault, because a person could actually travel until they were found, and then they might be identified from some photo and a case opened against them. Or, after checking their phone, they might discover a ‘like’ from five years ago. And then the person ends up on some kind of list,” Irina says.

The lawyer strongly advises Belarusians who have been denied international protection not to lose hope and not to be afraid to file appeals and challenge the decisions of the Polish authorities.

“I tell everyone: file appeals! I hope that our democratic forces—Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Pavel Latushko, and others—will get more actively involved and will be able to convey to the Polish side that this approach to the issue is wrong. The situation in Belarus hasn’t changed—they’re still arresting people just as they did before. And it doesn’t matter whether you were arrested once or five times. Once they found evidence, that’s when they opened a criminal case,” says Irina Vorochkova.

Olga Timkina, an expert on the legalization of Belarusians, also insists on appealing negative decisions.

“If people don’t file an appeal, it means they agree: they don’t need international protection, and they can return home. And the more cases there are where a person is denied, doesn’t file an appeal, picks up their passport, and leaves, the more the department’s staff will think: ‘We’re doing a good job; people agree. Why do we need these slackers?’” warns Timkina.