Immigration Lawyer in Wrocław for Foreigners

An immigration lawyer in Wrocław or a specialist in Polish residence procedures can help with a residence permit, work authorisation or a letter from the Voivodeship Office. They can help you understand which route applies, what evidence you need and how to respond when an application is already under consideration. The first task is not completing a form. It is establishing your current legal position.

A change of employer, the launch of a business, marriage, graduation or an expiring residence card can alter the rules that apply to you. The date printed on a plastic card is only part of the picture. Your residence decision, immigration history and actual circumstances can be just as important.

Poland’s application process changed on 27 April 2026. Standard applications for temporary residence, permanent residence and EU long-term resident permits are now made electronically through MOS 2.0. This has removed the need to attend an office simply to lodge a standard paper application, but it has not removed the legal requirements behind it.

ONE PLUS provides immigration and administrative support in Wrocław and across Poland. Established in 2018, we assist foreign nationals, families, employers and business owners with residence, lawful employment and complex dealings with Polish public authorities. We start by reviewing your circumstances and then set out a practical course of action.

Information checked against official Polish sources as at 13 October 2026.

When to seek advice

You do not have to hire a lawyer to submit an ordinary Polish residence application. The MOS portal is available to applicants directly, and many people can manage a straightforward case themselves. Professional advice becomes valuable where the facts are less straightforward or a wrong move could affect the right to remain or work.

Consider a foreign employee whose residence card is still valid but who has just accepted another job. It is tempting to assume that the card allows work for any company. In fact, the answer may depend on the type of permit, the conditions stated in the voivode’s decision and the employee’s access to the Polish labour market.

A business owner faces a different question. Registering a limited liability company, a sp. z o.o., does not by itself establish eligibility for residence on business grounds. The authority may need evidence of real commercial activity and compliance with the relevant statutory conditions.

Sometimes the problem emerges much later. You have submitted your application and receive a formal request for additional documents, known as a wezwanie. Responding properly involves more than uploading another scan. You need to identify precisely what the case officer is asking you to establish.

Immigration advice is especially useful when a decision could affect your immigration status, employment rights or future residence applications.

Seek advice before acting

A good time to review your options is before changing employer, opening a business, moving to a new residence route or reaching the end of your current permission. Family applications and lengthy absences from Poland can also raise questions that are worth addressing in advance.

If you have received a refusal, a Border Guard decision or a notice requiring action, check the date of service and any appeal or response deadline immediately. Those deadlines can matter more than the date on which you first read the letter.

Lawyer or immigration adviser?

The expressions ‘immigration lawyer’, ‘residence card lawyer’ and ‘immigration consultant’ are often used loosely by English-speaking residents in Poland. They do not always describe the same professional qualifications.

In Poland, adwokat and radca prawny are regulated legal professions. The titles and particular forms of professional representation require the relevant statutory qualifications and authorisations.

An immigration adviser or residence specialist can review circumstances, help prepare an application, organise evidence, assist with administrative correspondence and act as a representative where Polish administrative rules allow it. A practising advocate is not mandatory for every ordinary residence application.

A contested legal issue or court proceedings may require a different level of representation. In those cases it is important to establish whether an appropriately authorised Polish legal professional is needed.

What case support covers

The work should go beyond entering your passport details into a form. A proper review considers your existing right to stay, earlier immigration decisions, the chosen basis of residence, employer or family evidence and any changes that could affect eligibility.

For instance, if the salary on an employment contract differs from the employer’s electronic annex, the authority may seek an explanation. If the residence basis itself is unsuitable, sending more certificates will not necessarily address the problem.

At ONE PLUS we look for consistency between the legal basis, the documents and what is actually happening in the client’s life. That is the starting point for a well-prepared case.

ONE PLUS immigration services

Immigration matters rarely exist in isolation. Employment arrangements, company documents, family circumstances and certificates from abroad frequently affect the residence application. ONE PLUS therefore supports individuals as well as employers and entrepreneurs.

Residence permits in Poland

The appropriate route depends on your situation. Temporary residence may be linked to employment, running a business, study, family circumstances or another lawful purpose. Permanent residence, EU long-term resident status and the EU Blue Card have different requirements.

ONE PLUS helps with residence permits based on employment, family reunification applications, business-related residence cases, permanent residence, long-term EU residence and highly skilled employment. You can explore the wider range in our residence and immigration services.

A useful distinction: a residence permit is granted by an administrative decision. The physical karta pobytu, often called a residence card or TRC, is the document issued to evidence a particular residence status. The card alone does not explain every right attached to the permit.

Work permits and employment

The right to stay in Poland and the right to work are separate legal matters. A foreign national may be lawfully resident without being authorised to take up a particular job. Equally, holding a residence card does not necessarily give unrestricted access to every employer.

The assessment may involve nationality, existing immigration status, the type of contract, the employer, the role and any conditions imposed by a previous decision.

ONE PLUS assists with work permits in Poland, employer documentation and the practical relationship between immigration permission and employment. For a company hiring international staff, an orderly compliance process can be more valuable than dealing with each permit in isolation.

Starting a business

Setting up a Polish company and obtaining residence on business grounds are two distinct processes. Registering a sole trader business, where permitted, or a limited liability company does not automatically secure a residence permit.

Depending on the route, the authority may consider the company’s actual trading activity, financial position, contracts, commercial prospects and the applicant’s role. Accounts and business documents should support the account given in the residence application.

ONE PLUS can help review company documents and assess whether the business is a suitable residence basis. We examine the commercial and immigration aspects together rather than treating the registration certificate as sufficient evidence on its own.

Family and citizenship

A spouse or child may qualify for a residence route based on family circumstances, but the appropriate procedure depends on the sponsor’s status and the relationship in question.

Long-term residence or Polish citizenship is not awarded automatically because someone has lived in Poland for a number of years. Eligibility depends on the particular route and may involve continuity of residence, income, language qualifications and previous immigration history.

ONE PLUS helps families assess their current options and plan any later applications. Read more about the available routes in our immigration services overview.

Refusals and appeals

A refusal should be read in full before any further application is prepared. The reasoning, date of service and appeal instructions, known in Polish as the pouczenie, may determine what can be done next.

For an ordinary decision refusing a Polish residence permit, the appeal deadline is generally 14 days from service. The appeal is addressed to the Head of the Office for Foreigners through the voivode who issued the decision. It is not a fresh MOS application.

ONE PLUS can help assess the grounds for refusal, identify the relevant evidence and plan the next stage. See our residence permit appeals service.

Filing a new application without examining the first decision may create avoidable difficulties. In some cases the immediate priority is protecting an existing right of appeal.

MOS 2.0 in 2026

Since 27 April 2026, standard applications for temporary residence, permanent residence and EU long-term resident permits must be lodged electronically using MOS. Certain special categories are subject to exceptions, so the correct route still has to be checked before applying.

The new process removes the routine paper filing step, not the need to sign the application properly or substantiate the residence grounds.

Official guidance: Polish Office for Foreigners, MOS information.

Making an online application

You create a new MOS account, sign in via login.gov.pl, select the correct residence application, complete the form in Polish and attach the required documents. You then sign and send it using an accepted electronic signature.

A properly submitted application generates UPO (Urzędowe Poświadczenie Odbioru), the official electronic acknowledgement of receipt. A draft saved in MOS is not an application that has been lodged.

Where temporary residence and work are requested, the employer must complete and electronically sign the required annex. Until that part is completed, the applicant cannot submit the relevant application. In certain student cases, an electronic annex is completed by the university.

ONE PLUS helps coordinate the paperwork and check the application. However, personal authentication and signing must be carried out by the applicant, or a legal representative in cases provided by law. Never share your Profil Zaufany or login.gov.pl credentials with an intermediary.

After submitting through MOS

The responsible Voivodeship Office reviews the application and may require the applicant to attend in person, show the original passport, give fingerprints, provide a specimen signature or supply further evidence.

After the relevant checks, an official zaświadczenie potwierdzające złożenie wniosku becomes available under the new procedure. It has replaced the traditional passport stamp for applications made in this way. It should not be confused with UPO: the two documents serve different purposes.

MOS is not a comprehensive tracker for every stage of administrative proceedings. It does not replace official correspondence with the voivode, and requests for information or documents must be dealt with through the appropriate channels and within the stated deadlines.

Further details: Official MOS questions and answers.

Staying, working and travelling

If an application is lodged correctly during lawful stay and the statutory formal requirements are met, the foreign national’s continued stay may be treated as lawful until the residence decision becomes final. That does not automatically grant the right to carry out any work.

Nor does the MOS certificate replace a visa or a valid residence card for travel through the Schengen Area or re-entry to Poland. Separate entry requirements still apply.

When reviewing a case, we distinguish four issues: lawful residence, permission to work, validity of the physical card and the right to cross a border. One does not automatically settle the others.

Immigration procedures in Wrocław

Where the applicant lives in Lower Silesia and the regional authority is competent, the residence case is handled by Dolnośląski Urząd Wojewódzki, the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Office in Wrocław.

Polish immigration legislation applies nationally, but the practical arrangements for appointments, correspondence and card collection can differ between offices. Electronic submission, a required personal attendance and collecting the finished card are separate stages with different arrangements.

The Lower Silesian Voivodeship Office provides current information about its procedures following the launch of MOS.

Understanding local practice

Knowing how a particular office organises appointments and receives additional evidence can save unnecessary journeys and confusion. It does not mean the office can substitute local preferences for national legal requirements.

ONE PLUS is based in Wrocław and assists people living elsewhere in Poland. Much of the initial review, advice and document preparation can be carried out remotely. Where a personal visit is legally required, the applicant must attend in accordance with the official notice.

Common immigration situations

The examples below are illustrative scenarios, not accounts of particular ONE PLUS clients.

Before You Change Employer

An employee holds a valid residence card issued in connection with work but receives an offer from another business. They assume their existing card is sufficient to begin immediately.

Before accepting the new role, the residence decision, work entitlement, contract terms and any notification or permit-change requirements should be reviewed. The safest point at which to check these matters is before the new employment starts.

Residence through a company

A business owner registers a sp. z o.o., opens a bank account and signs the first contracts. They would now like residence permission based on business activity.

The company registration is only part of the evidence. The authority may also consider whether the activity is genuine, whether relevant financial criteria are met and whether the documentation supports the declared purpose of stay.

A request for documents

An applicant has applied for temporary residence and work. The office then notes that the salary on the employment contract does not match the employer annex and asks for an explanation.

Sending the contract again may not resolve the inconsistency. The correct response should identify the cause, provide coherent evidence and address each point in the notice. The quality of the explanation matters more than the number of files attached.

Residence permit waiting times

There is no reliable single processing time that applies to every residence case. The length of proceedings depends on the permit route, the completeness of the application, required checks and the authority handling it. Moving online has not made a decision within a fixed number of weeks inevitable.

Rules applying in 2026

Under Article 100d of the Act of 12 March 2022 on assistance to Ukrainian citizens, the running of statutory deadlines in specified immigration proceedings conducted by voivodes is suspended until 4 March 2027. The provision covers, among other categories, certain temporary residence, permanent residence and EU long-term residence cases.

This does not mean that offices have stopped working. They continue to handle cases and may issue decisions. It does mean that the usual mechanisms connected with administrative inactivity or excessive delay are restricted by the special legislation.

Legal basis: Article 100d, current consolidated legislation.

Can a case be expedited?

The first step is identifying why progress has slowed. Have the formal requirements been met? Has the applicant attended in person where required? Is a document outstanding? Has a request from the office gone unanswered?

Only after reviewing those points can the available procedural options be assessed in light of the temporary rules. A ponaglenie, or formal request concerning delay, is not a guaranteed shortcut to a decision.

ONE PLUS can help review the file and consider lawful next steps. We do not guarantee a favourable decision or a particular issue date.

Tatiana Vyborna’s Professional Experience

Tatiana Vyborna is the founder and President of the Management Board of ONE PLUS, with more than 12 years’ experience in the legalisation of residence and employment of foreign nationals in Poland.

Her background includes studies at the Wrocław University of Economics and Business, a legal and business consulting programme associated with the University of Wrocław, and postgraduate training in the employment of foreign nationals.

According to her professional profile published by ONE PLUS, she has taken part in more than 20 inspections involving the Polish Border Guard, the National Labour Inspectorate, the tax authorities and ZUS, Poland’s social insurance institution.

That experience matters in immigration cases connected with work. An applicant’s residence documents should agree with the employer’s actual arrangements, including the contract, role, pay and relevant obligations. Inconsistencies may raise questions during the residence process and in an employer compliance inspection.

ONE PLUS therefore reviews the wider situation behind the application, not simply the electronic form. Find out more about her qualifications and experience in Tatiana Vyborna’s professional profile.

How ONE PLUS works

Clients should know what is being checked, why certain steps are necessary and which actions remain their personal responsibility. Our approach is organised around those principles.

Reviewing the circumstances

We examine the current residence basis, earlier decisions, important dates and the objective of the application. For employment cases we review working conditions; for business applications we look at the company; for an ongoing case we study what has already been filed and the correspondence received.

Agreeing the next steps

A new application is not always the right starting point. It may be more urgent to respond to an official request, clarify an inconsistency or protect a deadline for appeal. We explain the available options before preparing the next document.

Preparing the evidence

We help organise forms, annexes, statements and supporting evidence, including translations or certificates where necessary. For MOS applications, we coordinate the paperwork with the employer or another institution if their participation is required. The applicant still performs any personal signing and authentication required by law.

Supporting the ongoing case

Once an application has been lodged, further requests and correspondence may follow. We help interpret those documents and prepare the necessary responses. Internal communication and case-management tools can make this easier for clients, but they do not replace official state systems or decisions.

Other document services

Living abroad often creates practical document problems alongside immigration issues. You may need a replacement Ukrainian birth or marriage certificate, a Polish criminal record certificate, a power of attorney, an apostille or a sworn translation.

ONE PLUS assists with certificates and duplicate documents, apostilles and document legalisation, translations and arrangements for notarial formalities.

The correct approach depends on where the document was issued and where it will be used. Not every public document needs an apostille, and a sworn translation does not replace the official authentication required in another jurisdiction. We recommend checking the receiving institution’s requirements before ordering either service.

Why clients choose ONE PLUS

ONE PLUS has operated in Poland since 2018. Our main office is in Wrocław, while clients throughout the country can obtain assistance with document reviews and many preparatory steps remotely.

Our work brings together residence procedures, employment compliance, business matters and official documentation. This is particularly useful when an immigration problem begins elsewhere, perhaps with an employment contract, company records or an earlier administrative decision.

We explain the scope of our work, what the applicant must do and which decisions rest solely with public authorities. Residence permits are granted by the competent Polish authority, not by a private advisory company. Our role is to help prepare a coherent case and avoid mistakes that can be prevented.

Contact ONE PLUS

Whether you are planning a residence application, changing employers, running a business or responding to a letter from the Voivodeship Office, we can start by reviewing your position.

For an ongoing application, it helps to have your case reference, UPO and recent official correspondence available. If you have received a refusal or a request for documents, the date on which it was served is particularly important.

ONE PLUS Sp. z o.o.
ul. Piłsudskiego 43, Office 8
50-032 Wrocław, Poland
Telephone: +48 71 880 85 08
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: Monday – Friday, 09:00-17:00

Contact ONE PLUS

We can help you understand which documents and next steps are appropriate to your circumstances.

Legislation and Official Sources

1. Act of 12 December 2013 on Foreigners, as amended.
2. Polish Office for Foreigners, MOS launch guidance. Electronic filing from 27 April 2026.
3. MOS, official questions and answers. Authentication, acknowledgements, employer annexes and correspondence.
4. Lower Silesian Voivodeship Office. Local arrangements following the launch of MOS.
5. Act of 12 March 2022 on Assistance to Ukrainian Citizens, Article 100d on the suspension of certain administrative deadlines.
6. MOS, appeals against residence decisions.

This article provides general information, not advice on the facts of an individual case. The applicable procedure and legal consequences depend on your circumstances and the law in force at the relevant time.