Since the beginning of January when the amnesty was launched, more than 860 immigrants requested legalization of their stay in Poland, with most applications submitted in Mazowieckie Voivodship. Most applicants come from Vietnam, Ukraine and Armenia. Requests for amnesty are accepted until 2 July 2012. Amnesty is granted for 2 years.

The most recent figures of the Office for Foreigners show that more than 860 applications for legalization of their stay have been submitted by immigrants so far. Most applications were filed at the Mazowiecki Voivode's Office (613 applications). Also other Voivodeships, such as Łódzkie (81 applications), Lubelskie (35), Dolnośląskie (25), Śląskie (22), Małopolskie (16), Kujawsko-Pomorskie (11 applications).

It is mostly citizens of Vietnam (277 immigrants), Ukraine (237 immigrants), Armenia (148 immigrants), Russia (31 immigrants), China (28 immigrants), Belarus and Nigeria (17 immigrants from each country) that have requested amnesty. Other immigrants seeking legalization of their stay include citizens of Georgia, India, Pakistan, Morocco, Egypt, and Algeria.

Applicants filing for amnesty are mostly young, with 176 people of 31 to 45 years of age (176), 135 of 18-30 years of age, and 19 younger than 17.

Immigration amnesty had already been launched twice, in 2003 and 2007.

In 2003 more than 3.5 requests for legalization of stay in Poland were filed. In that year Voivodes granted amnesty to a total of 2.7 thousand immigrants, with most of them in Mazowieckie Voivodeship (802 people), Małopolskie Voivodship (352 people), Dolnośląskie Voivodeship (341 people). The immigrants granted amnesty included mostly citizens of Armenia (slightly over 1.2 thousand immigrants), Vietnam (over 1 thousand), Ukraine (68), Mongolia (51), Russia (41), Romania (20), and Azerbaijan and Syria (19 immigrants from each country).

In 2007 more than two thousand requests for amnesty were filed. Voivodes granted a pardon to more than 1.3 thousand immigrants, mostly in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship (947 positive decisions on the legalization of stay), Łodzkie Voivodeship (80), Śląskie Voivodeship (79) and the Head of the Office for Foreigners (66). Most legalized immigrants included citizens of Vietnam (901), Armenia (314), and Ukraine (36).

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The Ministry of Interior would like to remind you that immigration amnesty for undocumented immigrants who would like to legalize their stay in Poland was launched on 1 January 2012. Foreigners who on 1 January are staying in Poland illegally and:

• have been staying in Poland continuously since 20 December 2007,
• have been staying in Poland at least since 1 January 2010, and who earlier than that received a final decision on refusal to grant a refugee status with a decision on expulsion;
  
  and
• on 1 January were undergoing the procedure for granting a refugee status that had been launched on the basis of another request.

Legalization of a foreigner’s stay requires granting them a fixed-term residence permit for two years. During this period a foreigner may find employment on the basis of an employment contract without a permit and legally regulate their further stay in Poland. The procedure is carried out by voivodes and the Head of the Office for Foreigners.

Applications for amnesty may be submitted until 2 July 2012 at the voivode's office responsible for a given area of residence. Applications are field with workers of units and divisions for foreigners at voivodeship offices.

The Ministry of Interior published an online guideline on amnesty on its website (www.msw.gov.pl) for support. It includes information in four languages: English, Russian, Vietnamese, and Ukrainian. It provides foreigners information on the possibilities of legalization of their stay in Poland. Also a website on amnesty Stay legally has been launched http://abolicja.gov.pl/.